Lynnette Labelle @Chatterbox Chitchat

Author Spotlight: M. Pax

2012-01-26T10:48:00.001-06:00

I’d like to welcome science fiction/fantasy writer M. Pax, author of Semper Audacia. We’ll learn more about this space opera novel—including a giveaway—but first, let’s see what M. Pax has to say…

To learn more about M. Pax, her book, and the giveaway, check out my writing website: http://lynnettelabelle.com/blog/author-spotlight-m-pax/

I’m still looking to fill some author spotlight slots. I’m booking for April. If you write romance, thriller, mystery, urban fantasy, paranormal, horror or true crime, and you have a book you’d like to promote, send me an email: lynnette_labelle at yahoo dot com. Make sure to have “Author Spotlight” in the subject line or I won’t open the message. Let me know when your release date will be (if the book isn’t already available) and what genre you write.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Tomorrow: Author M. Pax

2012-01-25T10:07:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow, science fiction/fantasy author M. Pax will join us at www.lynnettelabelle.com. Here’s a little teaser for you.

Alone. Leda is the last living member of the brigade, the sole defender of her world. War took everyone she knew, leaving her in the company of memories and ghosts. Or is it madness? The siren blares. The enemy is coming. Or is it? The approaching vessel isn’t a friendly design, but it answers with the correct code. Leda must figure out whether the arrival is reinforcements or the final assault. In an aging flyer, she ventures out to meet her world’s fate, the last stand.

Come back tomorrow for an excerpt and interview with author M. Pax. I’ll have a link to my other blog to make it easy for you to find.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Indie Authors Beware

2012-01-24T09:55:00.000-06:00

Technically, this post isn’t just for indie authors, but since I’ve heard so much about a certain issue on the indie loops, I’m going to focus on those authors.

More and more people are telling you that you need to have your work edited before you publish it on Amazon, Smashwords, or other sites. I agree and not just because I’m a freelance editor. The problem is even hiring an editor doesn’t guarantee your work will be error-free.

We’ll assume the editor you hire is capable of doing the job. That’s not what this post is about. The problem is that once you have the edited version of your manuscript, you still have to make changes. Sometimes, that means accepting the changes made through Track Changes, but more often, it means rewriting certain parts. Unfortunately, many writers don’t bother to send their revised manuscript back to the editor for one last look. Oh, I see you cringing. Stop it. I know editors aren’t cheap and you’re not made out of money, but your reputation is at stake. Do you really want to put out a book with typos or grammatical errors just because you didn’t have your polished version double-checked by an industry professional?

I can’t speak for all editors, but I can tell you how I operate. For novellas and novels, I offer a free sample upfront. This allows you to see what I can do for you and it shows me how much work is involved so I can give you a quote. Let’s say you hire me, I edit your work, and return it to you. Maybe you struggled with the first fifty pages and then everything pretty much smoothed out. In that case, you could revise and resubmit those fifty pages and since this is the second time around, there wouldn’t be as much editing involved, so I could charge you less. Or maybe you’re really only concerned about a certain chapter or a few scenes here and there. That’s fine. Send them to me and I’ll take a second look. I don’t need to edit the whole manuscript again, unless that’s what you want. The important thing is that you have the weaker scenes reviewed after you’ve made changes.

My point is that you don’t have to pay an editor the same fee when you resubmit, unless you’ve added scenes or fresh material, so the cost isn’t necessarily as high as you might think. If you don’t want to spend the money on having your full manuscript edited a second time, then pick and choose the scenes or chapters that gave you the most grief when revising and submit those.

If you don’t, that’s up to you. Just don’t go blaming your editor if reviewers find typos and grammatical errors in your published book. If you made any revisions after the editor saw the work, she can’t be responsible for the changes you made.

One last bit of advice, before you send your manuscript to an editor, try to make it as polished as possible. Have your critique group and beta readers go over your story until you’re all sick of it. The closer your manuscript is to publishable work, the less you’ll have to spend on editorial services.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Author Spotlight: Jonathan D. Allen

2012-01-19T09:35:00.000-06:00

I’d like to welcome dark fantasy writer Jonathan D. Allen, author of The Corridors of the Dead. He has also released a short story, The Kayson Cycle.

We’ll learn more about The Corridors of the Dead, but first, let’s see what Jonathan has to say...

To learn more about Jonathan, go to my writing website: http://lynnettelabelle.com/blog/author-spotlight-jonathan-d-allen/

I’m still looking to fill some author spotlight slots. I need someone for Feb. 9th and I’m booking for March. If you write romance, thriller, mystery, urban fantasy, paranormal, horror or true crime, and you have a book you’d like to promote, send me an email: lynnette_labelle at yahoo dot com. Make sure to have “Author Spotlight” in the subject line or I won’t open the message. Let me know when your release date will be (if the book isn’t already available) and what genre you write.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Tomorrow: Author Jonathan D. Allen

2012-01-18T09:27:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow, dark fantasy author Jonathan D. Allen is joining us at www.lynnettelabelle.com. Here’s a little teaser for you.

In a time long before humans walked the Earth, a mysterious being known only as The Lost Aetelia crafted an elaborate series of Watchtowers, along with their resident guardians, the Aetelia, to watch over the operations of the Universe. In time, a rebellious group of these Aetelia came to Earth in an attempt to challenge the established structure of the Universe. A bitter war ensued, and these rebels, who had come to be known as Watchers, disappeared from human history.

The time of the Aetelia - now known as angels - is returning. After a fateful night of violence, Artist Matty DiCamillo finds herself drawn into this world by a mysterious savior, who becomes a driving force in Matty's new life.

Both driven by and fighting the words of prophecy that lay out her destiny, Matty, her lover Kristy, and her best friend Daniel, follow this mysterious savior on a journey from Northern California to Las Vegas on a path that crosses through the boundaries of time and space.

As Matty struggles to understand her new destiny, she discovers that her mysterious savior may not be who she seems to be, and that even the denizens of the twilight world that she has entered have no idea what lurks behind the stage dressing of their reality. Matty finds herself not only racing to rescue the woman she loves, but learning that she herself could be the cause of the Universe's day of reckoning.

Come back tomorrow for an excerpt and an interview with author Jonathan D. Allen. I'll have a link to my other blog to make it easy for you to find.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Author Spotlight: Raine Thomas

2012-01-17T09:51:00.001-06:00

I’d like to welcome YA fantasy/romance writer Raine Thomas, author of the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy: Becoming (Book 1), Central (Book 2), and Foretold (Book 3). She has also released a short story, The Prophecy. Plus, her new trilogy, Firstborn, is slated for a spring release.

We’ll learn more about Becoming—including a giveaway—but first, let’s see what Raine has to say…

To read more, go to my writing blog: http://lynnettelabelle.com/uncategorized/author-spotlight-raine-thomas/

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Tomorrow: Author Raine Thomas

2012-01-16T11:35:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow, author Raine Thomas is joining us at www.lynnettelabelle.com. Here’s a little teaser for you.

Every three years, Amber Hopkins explodes. Okay, not a blown-to-smithereens explosion, but whatever it is always hurts like hell and leaves her life a shambles. She’s already worked her way through five foster placements, and she’s doing whatever she can to avoid getting blasted into a sixth.

As her eighteenth birthday approaches and she feels the strange and powerful energy building, disaster looms. When the inevitable explosion occurs, her life gets its biggest shakeup yet. She’ll not only learn how her fellow foster and best friend, Gabriel, really feels about her, but she’ll discover that she isn’t really without family.

To top it all off, she’ll finally find out why she’s having the power surges: she isn’t entirely human.

Amber must Become, transitioning to another plane of existence and risking the loss of the most important relationship she’s ever had. Her choice will impact the future of an entire race of beings, and will pit her against an enemy that will prey upon her doubt to try and take her very life.

Kind of makes the explosions now seem like a cakewalk.

Come back tomorrow for an excerpt and an interview with author Raine Thomas. I'll have a link to my other blog to make it easy for you to find.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Author Spotlight: Micheal Rivers

2012-01-12T10:17:00.000-06:00

I’d like to welcome Micheal Rivers, author of The Black Witch and Ghosts of the North Carolina Shores. His most recent release is Moonlight on the Nantahala. We’ll learn more about that in a little bit, but first, let’s see what Micheal has to say…

To read more, go to my writing blog: http://lynnettelabelle.com/blog/author-spotlight-micheal-rivers/

Lynnette Labelle

www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Tomorrow: Author Micheal Rivers

2012-01-11T10:22:00.002-06:00

My work schedule is pretty full for the next couple of months, so I have to make some changes. My blog schedule will now be Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’ll try to have one writing related post and one author spotlight or guest post.

Tomorrow, author Micheal Rivers is joining us at www.lynnettelabelle.com. Here’s a little teaser for you.

There are those who believe that true love can never die. It is neither an impossible affair of the heart nor is it just the words of poets wooing your soul. The tale of Edward Caulfield stands as a testament of the love he held in his heart for a woman he was never allowed to grow old with.

Come back tomorrow for an excerpt and an interview with author Micheal Rivers. I'll have a link to my other blog to make it easy for you to find.

I’m still looking to fill some author spotlight slots. If you write romance, thriller, mystery, urban fantasy, paranormal, horror or true crime, and you have a book you’d like to promote, send me an email: lynnette_labelle at yahoo dot com. Make sure to have “Author Spotlight” in the subject line or I won’t open the message. Let me know when your release date will be (if the book isn’t already available) and what genre you write.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Editor's First Aid: CRP for Your Dying Manuscript

2012-01-09T20:23:00.000-06:00

Guess what! I’m teaching a new class called Editor’s First Aid: CPR for Your Dying Manuscript. Check out the details below.

Maybe the horror stories about the hard road to publication are keeping you from finishing your novel. Maybe you've had one too many rejections with no explanation. No matter what is killing your writing, it’s time to breathe a little life into your manuscript.

Not sure where to start? As a freelance editor, I'm telling you there’s only one surefire way to avoid the dreaded rejection slip—know your craft. And I mean really learn it. Knowing your craft inside and out is the only way to identify and correct the problems in your writing.

Feeling overwhelmed? Maybe you think editing just isn't your strong suit? Don't worry. You don't have to do it alone. I'll walk you through some of the most common mistakes writers make so you can apply CRP to your dying manuscript.

In Editor’s First Aid, you'll learn about dialogue dilemmas, plotting problems, and bad beginnings, including:

• The 13 most common dialogue mistakes.
• How to avoid dialogue blunders.
• How to correct episodic writing.
• Understanding poor execution of GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts).
• How to turn up the emotion.
• When (if ever) to add a prologue.
• All about the inciting incident and why it’s the best place to start your story.

Other benefits of Editor’s First Aid include:

• A professional editor to answer your questions.
• Opportunities to have your work professionally edited. (Samples will be randomly selected with a minimum of six critiques.)
• A chance to see real examples of how an editor looks at a manuscript.

About the Instructor: Lynnette Labelle is a freelance copyeditor, proofreader, and manuscript editor with over ten years of experience. She’s the owner of Labelle’s Writing on the Wall, an editing and coaching service for writers. Lynnette specializes in developmental copyediting, including line editing, for romance (all subgenres except historical), mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, YA, middle grade, and children’s fiction. She proofreads non-fiction and all fiction genres, and also helps writers create hooky query letters and strong synopses. Lynnette has a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Manitoba, where she specialized in English and French. She excelled in Advanced Creative Writing in university and studied writing for children and teens through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She’s a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, Romance Writers of America, RWA Online, and Savvy Authors. For more information, visit www.labelleseditorialservices.com

When: February 6 – March 2, 2012
Where: RWA Online (www.rwaonlinechapter.org)

Hope to see you there. If not, keep an eye on my website. I'll probably teach this on on my own later in the year.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Editors Passed on Same Book Critique Group Loved: 6 Reasons Why

2012-01-04T10:10:00.000-06:00

You have a critique group and the members love, love, love your work. They’ve been nagging at you for months to send it out. You finally got up enough courage to submit and even received requests for partials and fulls, but in the end, nobody liked the manuscript enough to take it on. What gives?

Let’s take a look at six reasons agents and editors may not love your work as much as your critique group does.

1) The Relationship: This can mean different things depending on the group. For some, they’ve developed a friendship with the members of their group and can confuse “she’s a great person” with “she’s a great writer.” Some members may realize you’re not such a hot writer but don’t want to hurt your feelings, so they tell you what you want to hear instead. Others aren’t in the same league as you. Beginners will love stories written by intermediate writers and might even believe the book should be published, when in reality, it still needs a lot of work.

Lesson: Use a combination of your judgment, that of your critique group members, and feedback you get from agents and editors. If the rejections you’re getting are all canned, you really need to take another look at the book or start something fresh. If you’re getting personalized letters with specific notes on what’s wrong with the work or how to improve it, then you’re on the right track. Just remember, it’s your story. Only make changes if they feel right.

2) Super Premise: Your critique group loves your premise and thinks this is the next bestseller. They may be right. However, they don’t have the inside information agents and editors have. In this case, the industry experts may love your premise but if it’s too similar to something they’ve recently bought or something that’s currently on the market, they won’t want to touch it no matter how good it is.

Lesson: It’s not always about the writing or the idea. Sometimes it’s about who gets their idea out first.

3) Wrong Market: Your critique group loves your fresh ideas and maybe agents and editors do, too. However, you have to research which agents and editors to target. They may love your work but if they don’t feel they can sell it to their market, they’ll pass.

Lesson: Do your research before you submit to editors and agents.

4) Tres Rough: Your critique group expects a rough draft or some form of it, so they might overlook certain glaring errors. However, editors and agents won’t. They want polished manuscript on their desk or computer screens.

Lesson: Take the time to polish your work as best you can. If you aren’t good with grammar, hire a freelance editor (like me—shameless plug alert).

5) The Whole Is Filled with Holes: Your critique group might read chapters at a time, which allows them to really get into the scenes. However, it also prevents them from seeing the whole picture in one swoop like an editor or agent would when reading a full manuscript.

Lesson: Have Beta readers go over your full manuscript after you’ve polished it. They should read the book within a reasonable amount of time (usually a month) and should be able to recognize if a character’s eye color changed, if the protagonist did something out of character, or if a scene or chapter really doesn’t fit with the rest of the story.

6) Too Much Info: This is when the critique group is too familiar with your story either because they’ve seen so many versions of it or you’ve shared too many aspects with them to the point where they can no longer be objective. They start to suffer from the same blindness you suffer from, where they no longer see what’s missing because they believe the elements are there. The story and characters are so fresh in their mind that they don’t notice the plot holes, lack of character development, flat dialogue, etc.

Lesson: Have Beta readers read your story once it’s polished. These should be new readers so they’ll have fresh eyes on your work and should be able to spot things the critique group missed.

All in all, critique groups are wonderful tools. However, to rely solely on their input may be costly.

What are other ways a critique group may give you a false sense of security? How can you protect yourself while still benefitting from a critique group?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Author Spotlight Coming Soon

2011-12-21T10:25:00.002-06:00

This is my last day of blogging for the year, but I wanted to announce something that’s coming soon. In January, you’ll see a few extra posts from me because I’m adding an author spotlight to my schedule. I’m still working out the details, but basically, I’ll post an interview with an author and a short excerpt of their book. Don’t worry. I’ll still include two writing related posts a week. ;) I just thought I’d add a little variety to my blog and allow all of us a chance to get to know some authors and their work.

I’m looking for books in romance, paranormal, thriller, horror, mystery, urban fantasy, and true crime. If your book falls under one of those genres, email me. Let me know when your release date will be and what genre you write, and we’ll go from there. Put “Author Spotlights\” in the subject line, so I know it’s safe to open your email. My address is: lynnette_labelle at yahoo dot com.

I blog at a few different places but will only post the author spotlights at: www.lynnettelabelle.com

Happy holidays. See you next year!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Raising the Stakes

2011-12-19T10:33:00.000-06:00

Raise the stakes. The stakes aren’t high enough. This story lacks oomph. Have you heard any of these lines before? Was it in regards to your story? Yikes. If that’s the case, you need to understand how stakes work.

But, what are stakes? They’re the fear factor of the story. They affect the suspense, conflict, and impact of the plot. Why are the characters doing what they’re doing? What will happen if they don’t do this? What will they lose? Often, authors use the life or death of the protagonist or that of someone they care for as stakes. But, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, the outcome affects the world. For example, catch the villain, destroy the virus, or everyone will die. And other stories focus on intimate stakes. If a character doesn’t achieve his goal, he’ll be miserable or devastated.

So, what are stakes really about? Goals. Without them, your character wanders around doing things for no reason. There are no consequences and no rewards for what he’s doing. And therefore, the reader doesn’t care about him.

But the stakes need to be important to the character. If Sean needs to keep Kathy safe from a mob hit because that’s his job, then his job needs to be important to him. What will happen if he loses it? Of course, you can go a step further with this and have him develop feelings for her. Now, the stakes have just increased because if he fails to keep her safe, not only will he lose his job but the love of his life, too.

The next time you hear that you need to raise the stakes in your story, you’ll know this means your protagonist doesn’t have a strong enough goal or his goal isn’t properly motivated. But, you’ll need to dig deeper if you’re going to raise the stakes. The protagonist’s goal must follow him throughout the story and after each failed attempt at achieving his goal, his need to reach the unattainable becomes stronger.

Now, go back to your WIP and double check if your stakes are high enough. Even if you think they are, can you possibly make them higher? Can you punish your poor character even more? Always ask yourself, “What does my character have to lose?” Then, make him lose it (only to regain it later, at the end of the novel) or force him to fight so he doesn’t lose it—whatever “it” may be.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

How Does a Writer Plot Successfully?

2011-12-14T09:57:00.000-06:00

A plot sparks, ignites, and finally explodes in the closing scenes, or it should, if you’re doing your job. The story shouldn’t just spark and ignite only to fizzle out. It needs a constant increase in tension. Options for your characters must continue to disappear—especially when your character needs them the most—only to have the story end with a logical conclusion.

But how does a writer plot successfully? Here’s a little cheat sheet you can use:

-Don’t start the first scene with explanations, just get the story moving.

-Begin with the character reacting to a problem, one that’s pulling her life in the wrong direction.

-Make your character’s life hell. Don’t put her in situations where she’s comfortable. She needs to be on her toes, constantly looking for a way back to her “normal life”.

-The plot forces your character to change in order to survive the story. Without this transformation, the ending won’t be plausible.

-Make sure your protagonist’s goals and motivations are strong, and that the conflict she’s up against is almost impossible to overcome. A woman who’s afraid of dogs because her friend was attacked as a child is too weak to keep a story going. However, if the character is terrified of dogs because she was attacked and nearly killed when she was younger, and now her job as a reporter requires her to go undercover at a dog mill or she’ll be fired, that’s conflict. Now, add that the meanest dog escapes and has the reporter’s daughter trapped against a wall. The reporter will have no choice. She’ll have to do more than face her fear, she’ll have to conquer it as well.

-Don’t just torture your characters, torture your readers, too. Make them care about your characters and then put those characters in danger, be it physical or emotional.

-Make your characters act in ways that most people would be afraid to act. Have your protagonist stand up to bullies, for example, but only after she’s gone through a series of situations that have prepared her for the fight. She can’t go from being cowardly one minute to a brave hero the next without any kind of transformation in between or the story won’t be believable.

-Show your character’s changes through her actions or decisions, not summary.

-Have her react to events that occur in the story. She can’t simply sit around and worry.

Of course, plotting is a little more complicated than that, but following these tips will keep you from making many of the mistakes beginner writers make.

Do you have any tips you’d like to add?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

The Nightmare of Writing Dreams...

2011-12-12T11:34:00.001-06:00

Writers sometimes use dreams to show something about their story, but do you know why that’s not necessarily the best approach?

-The cliché: Dreams have been used too often and by too many writers, so the idea is no longer fresh. It’s cliché. With the publishing industry being harder to break into as ever, is it worth taking the risk? I know many writers who tried to get traditionally published and came close but just couldn’t get their foot in the door. (Don’t you love it when I use clichés in the same paragraph where I preach about why you shouldn’t use them? Do as I say, not as I do. Oh, there I go again!) These same authors were told by acquiring editors that there was nothing wrong with their writing or their story, just that it wasn’t unique enough. Still want to use a dream in yours?

-The super dream: The actual dream can sometimes be more powerful and exciting than the regular story, leaving the reader feeling disappointed when the character wakes up and gets on with his regular life. Remember Bobby’s dream on the TV show Dallas? I was just a kid, but I recall my mom talking about this and how everything that had happened on the previous season was dismissed by having Bobby wake up from a dream in the first episode of the new season. That was the beginning of the end for that show. They lost many viewers that night. Why? Because the viewers felt cheated. They’d wasted a year getting to know characters and plots that weren’t real and now they were expected to readjust and pick up where everything had left off before “the dream”.

-The long-winded dream: Writers have a tendency to create long, detailed dreams, which take the reader away from the true story for too long. You’ve heard the term “keep the story moving”, right? What editors mean when we say this is that you need to continue to develop characters and the main plot. Stopping for a flashback or dream is fine as long as it doesn’t happen so often that the reader loses sight of the real plot, and as long as the distraction/backstory isn’t so long that the reader disconnects with the characters and main plot or is jolted when she returns to the actual story.

-The scratch-your-head dream: Starting a novel or chapter with a dream can sometimes be confusing for the reader. If this is the beginning of the book, a reader may grow to like the characters and situation in the dream only to be disappointed when she realizes what she’d read wasn’t the real story. I’ve had that happen before and can tell you I wasn’t able to get into the actual plot after I discovered the characters I’d fallen in love with weren’t going to reappear because they were a part of a fabrication. Maybe I would’ve liked the main plot had I not been introduced to these characters and this other world, but that’s not the way the author chose to write the novel. As a result, I was disappointed and didn’t finish the book.

If you’re considering having a dream in your story, figure out why you feel a need to do so. What are you trying to accomplish by using the dream? Is it a way to show backstory or foreshadow an upcoming event? Is there another way you can show this without stopping the flow of the main story? If there’s absolutely no way around using a dream, make it brief, using only the strongest elements and quickly returning to the real story.

Have you ever used a dream in your book? Why did you choose to add this element to your plot? Looking back, did it add or take away from the main story?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Author Branding: Why Do It?

2011-12-07T10:22:00.000-06:00

What can cause a reader to expect a certain tone or outcome from YOUR writing and something utterly different from someone else’s? It’s a little thing called branding. But what is branding and how does it work? Here are two examples:

1) Let’s say Judy strolls down the romance aisle in her favorite Barnes and Noble. She happens to come across your book. She’s never heard of you before but feels the back cover blurb is interesting enough to take a risk and buy the novel. What’s Judy’s expectation? That your book will follow the same “formula” as other romance novels she’s read and loved. She wants the hero and heroine to meet fairly early in the story, but something will keep them apart. By the end, they will conquer that conflict and live happily ever after.

Judy’s expectation: ROMANCE. Why? Because your book was placed on the shelf with other romance novels and most likely had the word romance written on its spine.

2) Michelle has bought every book you’ve written thus far and has been excitedly awaiting your next masterpiece to hit the bookstores. When that finally happens, she rushes to the “New Arrivals” shelves and grabs the book without reading the back cover. She loves your work and KNOWS this novel will be as great or better than the last.

Michelle’s expectation: CONSITENCY. What do you think would happen to Michelle’s expectations if she was accustomed to your romantic stories only to discover your new novel was about flying monkeys and how they escaped from a lab on Mars?

Branding has a lot to do with your readers’ expectations. They associate your name to a certain type of writing including the style, tone, and genre you write. This is why agents and editors will tell you it’s dangerous to write a little bit of this and a little bit of that. They recommend you stick to one genre for example and build a following. Does this mean you will forever be writing romances when there’s a mystery novel brewing in the depths of your core? No, but it does mean you have to be smart about how and when you present this new genre to your readers. Some authors, like Nora Roberts, have chosen to use a pseudonym so their readers know what to expect when they pick up the book. Nora Roberts = Romance. J.D. Robb = “In Death” series. Other authors have kept their name and tried to please both their readers and themselves by releasing one novel in their original genre and another in the new genre during that same year. This is a little riskier and can alienate some of their followers, but certain authors are successful with this system.

Have you thought about branding? If you’re not published, now’s the time to decide what your brand will be. So, what IS your brand?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Readers' Expectations - Know 'Em

2011-12-05T10:53:00.001-06:00

When writing, have you ever considered your readers’ expectations? If you haven’t, you might want to think twice. I once watched a movie that really disappointed me: “Trial by Fire” aka “Smoke Jumpers” with Brooke Burns playing the main character. When I started watching this movie, I was hooked because of the sexual tension between firefighters Kristen and Ray. The fire burning between them was as hot as any inferno they’d fought in the line of duty. However, when the external conflict was resolved, I expected there to be an extra clip showing these two characters could now be together… or they couldn’t because of their working relationship. Yet, NOTHING was mentioned at all. The last we were shown of their potential love interest was when they went on a “date”. A fire interrupted their time together as they both rushed to the scene. The blaze was extinguished and that was that. Talk about misleading and bad writing. I’m not sure if the DVD version “Smoke Jumpers” ended this way. I saw “Trial by Fire” on TV and that’s how it played out. My expectation was for them to get together because of the sexual tension between these characters all throughout the movie.

The writer didn’t take my expectations into consideration. Why put any sexual tension into the script if the writer wasn’t planning on following through with the romance? There could’ve been plenty of conflict without the budding romance. But leaving this loose end dangling in the wind is a major no-no. Disappoint a reader, or a viewer in this case, and she won’t be back. Granted, there’s the possibility the script was cut short because of a time constraint, but then the scenes with sexual build-up should’ve been cut or changed.

Think about this example when you’re writing. Who is your audience? What will your readers expect from YOUR writing?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Beginnings: The Embellished and the Tearjerker

2011-11-30T10:08:00.002-06:00

As a writer, hopefully, you realize how important your beginning is to your story. If you don’t invest time and probably tears (yours, not your characters’) into the first few pages, then why should the reader? I’ve talked about beginnings before. Here are a couple more types of beginnings to avoid.

The Embellished: This is when a story, especially a mystery, thriller, or romantic suspense, starts with the discovery of a body or a murderer in the act of killing. Those beginnings can be great, but the rest of the story has to follow the same level of darkness or mystery. The opening shouldn’t be so disturbing that the rest of the story can’t live up to that situation. An over-the-top, sensationalized beginning requires an action-packed, fast-moving story that keeps the reader on edge. Otherwise, the opening will seem contrived and the reader will feel manipulated. This doesn’t mean you can’t have slower scenes to give the reader a breather but that the danger hinted at or shown in the beginning should present itself throughout the novel.

The Tearjerker: This is when a character starts the story off with tears, especially when she “loses it”, and the reader doesn’t know why. The problem with this opening is that, while it may be well-written, the reader doesn’t know the character, what she has gone through or is going through now. There’s no way of evaluating whether the character is justified in her sorrow or being melodramatic. Plus, since the character is still a stranger to the reader, it’s easier to shut the book than take the time and effort to figure out what’s going on. Save this scene and use it once the reader has built a rapport with this character, then the situation will have a stronger impact.

I can’t say I’ve read many published books that started out with either one of these beginnings, but I have read some unpublished work like this. Opening scenes need to be a balance of a hook and set up—and I’m not talking about a backstory dump here—otherwise, you risk losing the reader.

Have you read stories with either of these beginnings? What’s your favorite kind of opening scene?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

The Nascar Beginning

2011-11-28T11:14:00.000-06:00

Is a quick-paced beginning the best way to start a story? It’s one thing to launch with an inciting incident, it’s another to have characters running from an unknown and unseen assailant. While some might think this is a “hooky” approach, what it often does is alienate the reader because she feels as though she’s turned the TV on in the middle of an action movie. She doesn’t know the characters or the situation, so why should she care? Why should she continue to watch the movie or read the book? At least with a movie, she might be drawn in by a certain actor she admires, or the hunky looks of the hero. But in a novel, the reader doesn’t have that visual benefit.

How is this approach different from starting with an action-based inciting incident? Knowledge. It’s fine to start in the middle of a scene and even have that particular scene be exciting and tension-filled. But, the writer has to take the time to share some information with the reader. Make sure she has the chance to get her bearings and understand the context for the action taking place. She needs to know whether or not the POV character is the protagonist or a side-kick, and why she should care about this individual. Slip some of this information to the reader and she’ll jump right into the story without looking back.

How do you start your stories? Do you build them up with information and then spring into action or do you try to do it all at once? Have you read stories and felt lost right from the beginning because the author didn’t set things up properly? If you’ve experienced this, did you continue to read anyway or put the book down?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

6 Common Backstory Pitfalls

2011-11-23T09:48:00.002-06:00

Backstory tends to have a bad reputation, but it’s essential to a story’s development. Through backstory, we learn about a character’s motivation and depth, how a fictional world functions, how the stakes are raised, and discover obstacles or fears that may prevent the character from moving forward. Unfortunately, many writers don’t know how to correctly insert backstory into the plot. Here’s a list of six common backstory pitfalls:

1. The dump. This is when a large chunk of backstory is tossed into the plot and pulls the reader from the immediate story. A way to spot the dump is to look for a page or more of backstory. The writer usually feels she must include this in order to inform the reader about the character’s past and how it influences him today. This can still be done, but not as a large section. Slip it in here and there.

2. The lesson. This is when the writer uses backstory to teach a moral or preach their opinion to the reader and shouldn’t be done. A fictional story is not a platform for the author to rant about his beliefs.

3. The attention hog. Backstory shouldn’t draw attention to itself or take away from the main plot. It should be subtly included as a part of the story.

4. The leap. If a trigger isn’t used to pull the character from the story, then there’s often more of a jolt to the reader. A trigger can’t always be used, but should be whenever possible. Types of triggers include dialogue, events, scents, or sounds. (For example, the smell of a pumpkin pie baking in the oven causes Jodi to flashback to her youth, when her mother used to bake. There was one time in particular, when she and her mother were putting the ingredients together to create a new recipe for pumpkin pie, but Gary stormed into the kitchen, drunk as ever, and threw the bowl against the wall.) This trigger allowed the character to smoothly transition into a flashback. She’d also need something to bring her back to reality. Maybe the phone rings or someone says something to her, etc.

5. The rush. This happens when the writer is so excited about her story, she rushes to tell the reader everything as soon as possible. Instead, tease the reader by dividing the reveal of backstory into small segments scattered throughout the beginning of the novel.

6. The POV blunder. Sometimes, writers use backstory as a way to explain how their fictional world functions. This is fine if done correctly. The problem is when the writer forgets to keep the character’s POV in mind. If the character is a teenager, she’s not going to have the same understanding of life as an adult. If the story is a historical, whatever may not seem normal for today’s standards may be perfectly acceptable back then and therefore the character wouldn’t draw any attention to it.

This is not to say backstory shouldn’t be used. A story would be dry without it. However, the trick is learning how to sprinkle the information throughout the story without the reader noticing.

Are you guilty of any of these pitfalls? Which ones? How do you add backstory to your novel?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

5 Subplot Blunders to Avoid

2011-11-21T09:37:00.000-06:00

Subplots are important in a novel to create a multi-layered effect, but there are certain blunders to avoid when using them. Here’s a look at five common subplot mistakes:

-Weakening of the main story. This happens when subplots are more interesting than the main plot or when they go off into so many directions it’s hard for the reader to follow the main story.

-Competing. Subplots shouldn’t take up the same word count as the main plot, nor should the reader ever be away from the main story for too long.

-Adding word count. A subplot should never be written simply to add words to the story. There should always be a reason for the subplot and it should be tied, in some way, to the main story.

-Rising and falling. The subplot should be considered a mini story and treated as such with a rising and falling sequence which, in the end, shows some sort of growth or change.

-Resolving. With more than one subplot, it’s important not to resolve all of them simultaneously or in the climax of the main story. Resolving one subplot at a time causes a stronger focus on the remaining plots.

Are you guilty of any of these blunders? Which ones?

For the last couple of weeks, I've been gathering information on writers though a questionnaire in hopes of matchmaking some of them so they can form critique groups. Over the next week or so, I'll contact those who have sent in a questionnaire. I believe I have a match for most of you, but not all. I wish I could've helped everyone, but I simply couldn't. If the match wasn't there, I couldn't create one. Of course, I'll always keep those writers in mind when I get queries about critique group. Otherwise, good luck on your search.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Critique Partner #5: Jennifer Kay

2011-11-18T09:59:00.000-06:00

Today is the last day to hand in your questionnaire for my FREE critique group matchmaking service. I'll notify everyone of their matches next week.

Note: The questionnaires will be posted as they were given to me. I am not editing them, so any spelling or grammar mistake is theirs, not mine. Even if the writer has given me permission to use his/her name, I’ll refer to that person as Critique Partner # (whatever number he/she is assigned.) This does not mean anyone has been paired up yet. I simply needed a system to identify everyone.

Critique Partner #5 is Jennifer Kay. If you're interested in becoming her crit partner, please contact me at: lynnette_labelle at hotmail dot com. Put "Critique Group Matchmaking" in the subject line or I won't open the email. It would also help if you could attach your questionnaire. I'm going to ask you to fill one out anyway. ;)

Here's more about Jennifer Kay.

Critique Group Questionnaire

About You:

1. In a paragraph, tell us a bit about yourself. (Married? Kids? Pets? Job? Anything you’d like to share, but don’t talk about writing here. Those types of questions will follow.)

I’m a structural engineer who designs buildings and bridges by day and aspires to become a published author by night. I’m recently divorced and have a four-year-old daughter and a new Siamese kitten. We live in the Midwest, and enjoy spending time outdoors and visiting local attractions. Both of us love stories of all kinds – movies, television series, plays, and especially books!

2. What made you decide to start writing?

I’ve always been a reader, but after college when I suddenly had more free time and desired a more creative outlet than my number crunching day job, I decided to write.

3. How long have you been writing at a serious level?

The first year or two I floundered all over the place trying different genres, styles, age levels, and points of view before finding my home in children’s literature. During
that time I wasn’t really serious about writing, nor did I finish anything I started. I’d say I began writing at a serious level eight years also when I began a middle grade science fiction manuscript that became my first completed manuscript.

4. How many completed manuscripts do you have under your belt?

I’ve completed three middle grade manuscripts and am about half-way through a longer young adult manuscript. I’ve also completed several picture book manuscripts.

5. What’s the genre of the story you’d like to have critiqued?

Middle grade fantasy to start with, but in the future I’d be interested in getting critiques on young adult heist manuscripts and pictures book manuscripts. I tend to bounce around within the children’s literature age levels and genres.

6. What genre(s) do you normally write?

Fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and heist.

7. What genre(s) do you like to read for pleasure? Name some authors you’ve read (and enjoyed) recently.

Picture Books: Fancy Nancy, Curious George, Olivia, Where the Wild Things Are

Middle Grade Books: Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, 39 Clues, Princess Academy, Tunnels

Young Adult Books: Gallagher Girls, Heist Society, Eragon, Vampire Academy, House of Night, Hunger Games, Twilight

Adult Authors: Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton, Patricia Cornwell, Lisa Scottoline, George R.R. Martin, Lee Childs

8. What genre(s) would you prefer not to read?

Historical Fiction and / or adult age level

9. Are you published? If yes, what, where, and when?

No, though I do currently have an editor interested in my middle grade fantasy novel and am working on a revision based on her notes.

10. Do you have an agent? Care to share his/her name and
company? (Not required, just curious).

Yes. Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency

11. Have you entered any contests and what were the results?

No.

12. Are you a member of RWA or any other writers’ groups?

I’m a member of SCBWI.

13. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Pantser, though I usually loosely plot a couple of chapters ahead of me and have a vague idea of where the story will end up.

14. If you join this group, what will you have the members critique?

b)something your agent wants you to edit before she can submit?

15. How often would you wish to exchange work to be critiqued
and how many pages at a time?

Exchanging a chapter once or twice a month would be great. Not sure I could sustain a
critique every week.

16. What are your strong points and areas of improvement as a writer?

My strength is crafting worlds, characters, and storylines. I also have a good grasp of
pacing and proper grammar. My biggest weakness is showing emotional reactions and the mechanics of varying sentence structure, word choice, and dialog methods.
17. Rate your strength/weakness in the areas below using the following scale:

1- Need a lot of help
2- Still working on this
3- I stumble sometimes
4- I rarely struggle with this
5- Very strong in this area

a) grammar: 4

b) spelling: 4

c) punctuation: 4

d) description: 5

e) dialogue: 3

f) narrative: 4

g) POV: 4

h) passive voice: 4

i) action/tension: 3

j) tight writing : 3

k) show vs. tell: 3

l) GMCs.: 3

18. Describe the GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts) for one of your characters.

Espi’s initial goal is to have wings like all the other fairies. Her motivation is to conform with others. The initial conflict is that her wings don’t arrive on her thirteenth birthday and she is sent away by her family until they do arrive.

As Espi adapts and overcomes the initial conflict, a new conflict arises: a wing infection that strikes all the winged fairies in her colony. Espi’s new goal is to find a
cure for the wing infection, and her motivation is her love for her family
members who are sick.

19. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being fluffy and 5 being very tough but not rude) what level of critique are you comfortable giving/receiving?

4: Welcome constructive criticism on the story and line edits of the mechanics that are presented politely. Won’t tolerate bashing or put downs of the author. Don’t need ego padding or cheer leading since my family is plenty capable of giving me that.

20. How would you describe yourself as a critiquer (detailed, line edit type person, big picture/concept person, etc.)?

Big picture / concept person with the occasional line edit.

21. Do you have a website or blog? What’s the address? (Are you comfortable with this being posted on my blog? If not, please answer the question and let me know. I won’t post this but need to know more about you when matchmaking.)

No website or blog thought I have considered starting one in the future. Follow many, many other blogs.

Critique Group Specific:

22. Do you belong to or have you ever belonged to a critique group?

Have a local SCBWI group who mainly do fluffy critiques of little value to me. Was part of a great online critique group of 3 writers until the leader became ill and had to end the group. Would like to replace that old group with a new one.

23. A critique group isn’t a place to promote personal agendas such as religion or politics. Will that be a problem for you?

No.

24. In this group, you may find writing with swears, graphic violence, and explicit sex scenes. Will that bother you? Can you objectively critique this type of work?

No, that won’t both me. Willing to critique such work at the young adult age level, but don’t feel it is appropriate for younger readers.

25. Are you looking for a long term critique group or just someone to help you with this particular story?

Long term group.

Contact Information: (Please fill this out, but let me know if you don’t want this or part of this to be posted on my blog. For example, you may not want your email address posted but are okay with your name and website mentioned.)
Pseudonym: Jennifer Kay

Website and/or blog: none

I'll start my regular writing related posts again on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Lynnette Labelle

www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Critique Partner #4: Annalise Green

2011-11-17T10:01:00.001-06:00

In a paragraph, tell us a bit about yourself. (Married? Kids? Pets? Job? Anything you’d like to share, but don’t talk about writing here. Those types of questions will follow.)

A. I’m a 23 year old college student pursuing a masters in Clinical Psychology.

What made you decide to start writing?

A. Since about the first grade, I’ve had my nose in a book. Since about the fifth grade, I’ve loved to write. I just like telling stories.

How long have you been writing at a serious level.

A. Well, I first tried to write a novel in high school. I wrote about 100 pages. I’ve been pretty serious about it since then, although I still haven’t finished a novel. So I guess that’s about 9 to 10 years or so.

How many completed manuscripts do you have under your belt.

A. Unfortunately, I’ve never finished a novel. My longest completed works are short stories at 7000 words. I’ve completed a lot of short stories but no novels. I’m pretty optimistic about completing my latest novel effort, as right now I’m more disciplined and structured than ever before.

What’s the genre of story you’d like to have critiqued?

A. I’m currently working on the first draft of a science fiction novel, but honestly it won’t be ready for critique for several months. However, I’m continuing to put out shorts that straddle the boundaries between science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism.

What genre(s) do you normally write?

A. Science fiction and fantasy.

What genre(s) do you like to read for pleasure? Name some authors you’ve read (and enjoyed) recently.

A. Science fiction and fantasy, although I tend not to be too stringent about it and will read pretty much anything that entertains me. I love Neil Gaiman, Kazuo Ishiguro, Murakami, Erin Bow, Kelly Link, Patrick Ness, Isaac Asimov, Scott Snyder, and Agatha Christie.

What genre(s) would you prefer not to read?

A. I don’t think I would be very helpful with straight-up romance. It’s not a genre I know a lot about. Same with a lot of urban fantasy. I tend not to enjoy things that are hardcore literary either, at least in the sense that they emphasize realism above all else. It’s tough because I can see myself enjoying certain stories from those genres – but in some ways they’re the opposite of what I write, so I’m not sure that I would be very helpful.

Are you published? If yes, what, where, and when?

A. Nope. Not published.

Do you have an agent? Care to share his/her name and company? (Not required, just curious.)

A. Nope, no agent either.

Have you entered any contests and what were the results?

A. I don’t think I’ve ever entered a contest. In high school, my short stories were selected over other students to be read at a special event. But I’m not sure that was a contest, really.

Are you a member of RWA or any other writers’ groups?

A. I’m a member of the writer’s association in my state, and I’m in a local critique group.

Are you a plotter or a panster?

A. In the past, I was a panster. More recently, I’ve been converted to plotting. I just wrote a 32 page outline for my WIP.

If you join this group, what will you have the members critique?

A) something you’ve already finished and are planning on submitting to agents

B) something your agent wants you to edit before she can submit?

C) something you’re still working on, but you’ll send the earlier part for critiquing?

D) something you’ve just started. You plan to write and have that chapter critiqued soon after?

E) other?

A. Definitely A. Except that for the most part, it’ll be short stories that I’m planning on submitting to magazines. But I do have this larger WIP that I need feedback on before I submit to agents.

How often would you wish to exchange work to be critiqued and how many pages at a time?

A. Right now, I’ll probably only be sending short stories once a month. Lately, they haven’t been very long – certainly under 4000 words. However, when I do send the larger WIP, it will be the full novel manuscript at once. I want people to evaluate the story in its entirety, not in bits and snatches.

What are your strong points and areas of improvement as a writer?

A. I like to think that I’m not a sloppy writer. I have a pretty rigorous editing process and I don’t like to submit anything to betas until I’m sure I’ve gotten as far with it as I possibly can. So you’re not likely to see a lot of typos and/or clumsy sentences (although I wouldn’t say never, either). People have complimented me on my descriptions. And I care a lot about entertaining the reader, so I work really hard not to have parts that are “boring”.

However, this is also my weakest area. I’ve noticed that I don’t get feedback to cut things, but rather to put more stuff in because the manuscript is too bare. I also sometimes make the mistake of thinking that something is perfectly understandable when it’s not, so people have to let me know when I’ve lost them.

Another important thing to understand about me is that I purposefully write with a “neutral” style, because I don’t like to explicitly state emotion or even character thoughts. I would rather communicate things like that through character actions. But sometimes I don’t have enough of that either, so I end up with characters that readers can’t connect to because they’re too enigmatic. I don’t necessarily want to change my neutral style, but I do want to make sure that I’m doing my job so that the readers can understand where the characters are coming from without making it feel like work.

Rate your strengths/weakness in the areas bellowing using the following scale:

A. Polished writing - 4

Descriptions – 4

Hooking the reader – 3

Not having enough details – 2

Confusing the reader – 1

Neutral tone – 2

Describe the GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts) for one of your characters.

A. Casey is the main character in my novel KILL THE LAST ONE. His main goals are to escape the strange world of the Mock Universe, and to protect his younger brother Cameron. He’s motivated by his desire to survive and also by his love for his brother. However, he’s also fighting with Cameron because Casey did a couple stupid things upon entering the Mock Universe that resulted in the death of their younger brother Evan. In addition, Casey is the coveted “last one”, which means that if someone kills him, they get to go back to the real world. Fortunately, most people don’t know that Casey is the last one. Unfortunately, the one person who does know is the person who killed Evan.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being fluffy and 5 being very tough but not rude) what level of critique are you comfortable giving/receiving?

A. 3 for both giving and receiving. I think it’s important to let writers know what they’re doing right, not just to be fluffy but because people need to inflate their strengths and deflate their weaknesses. And of course, in order to do that, you need to know your weakness as well.

How would you describe yourself as a critiquer (detailed, line edit type person, big picture/concept person, ect.)?

A. I’m usually hesitant to suggest big picture changes because I feel like that borders on telling people how to write their story, rather than helping them write their story in their style. But I have been know to make some big picture suggestions if I think that it’s something that’s really important. I’m not sure I’m a detailed line edit person either. It’s more like, I tend to focus on the level of the scene, rather than the level of the sentence or even the entire story structure.

Do you have a website or blog? What’s the address? (Are you comfortable with this being posted on my blog? If not, please answer the question and let me know. I won’t post this but need to know more about when matchmaking.)

A. Yes, I have a blog! It’s http://annalisegreen.com. Totally fine to post this on your blog.

Do you belong to or have you ever belonged to a critique group?

A. I have a long history with critique groups. In high school, I took two creative writing classes that basically functioned as critique groups. Similarly, I took four fiction workshops in college. Right now, I’m in a local critique group that meets once a month and I’m thinking of joining another local critique group that meets once a week. In addition, I’m in an online critique group with about five members. I also have three beta readers not associated with a critique group, but that are awesome writers. I love giving and getting feedback.

A critique group isn’t a place to promote personal agendas such as religion or politics. Will that be a problem for you?

A. Nope. I wouldn’t even say that my stories have anything to do with religion or politics.

In this group, you may find writing with swears, graphic violence, and explicit sex scenes. Will that bother you? Can you objectively critique this type of work?

A. Honestly, I’ll probably be a source of a lot of the swears and graphic violence. Maybe even some sex scenes. So no, I’m fine with it.

Are you looking for a long term critique group or just someone to help you with this particular story?

A. I need something long term.

Real name: Annalise Green

Website and/or blog: http://annalisegreen.com

Email address: greenannalise@gmail.com

Tomorrow, I'll post Critique Partner #5's questionnaire. See you then.

Lynnette Labelle

www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Should You Join an Online Critique Group?

2011-11-16T09:37:00.001-06:00

Should you join an in-person or online critique groups? Let’s talk about both types.

In-Person Critique Groups:

Where do you find one? This isn’t always easy, but if you know where to look, you’ll have better odds at finding an in-person group.

-Google your city and add terms like critique group, beta readers, crit group, writers group, etc.

-Look for ads in bookstores, coffee shops, and libraries.

-Try Craigslist or your local newspaper but make sure the group meets in a public place. You never know who’s posting the listing and you want to stay safe.

-Check to see if there’s a national organization for your genre like Romance Writers of America for romance writers and find out if they have a local chapter near you.

What should you expect? Typically, every group has a set of rules that dictate how often you meet, where, and how the critiques will be done. Sometimes, the group takes one or more chapters home from one writer’s work. When you meet up again, the group discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the chapter(s) read and offers suggestions. The problem with this is it’ll take quite a while to get through one manuscript and only one writer has benefitted. To avoid this, some groups take turns with the exchanges. For example, during the month of November, they’ll meet once a week and work on all the first chapters.

Online Groups:

Where do you find one? This can be tricky, but it’s not impossible.
-Google your genre and terms like critique group, beta readers, crit groups, writers groups, etc.

-Search Yahoo groups and ask if you can join a particular group.

-Network with your blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media friends. Find out if they know of any groups who are accepting new members.

-Create your own group. Advertise through social media saying you’re starting a critique group and then scrutinize the writers who contact you. Use a questionnaire (you can even use mine) to discover if you’d make a good fit or exchange the first five to ten pages and see if you enjoy the writer’s style.

What should you expect? Pretty much anything goes here. The biggest issue is that you should have some sort of rules and expectations set up or things might get really messy. Know yourself and what you need out of a group. Some people prefer to stick with the same genre they write. Others will critique any genre they read, even if they don’t write it.

-Do you want a group that’s at the same level (like all beginners) or a mixed level group?

-If you’re a beginner, will you feel intimidated by the more advanced writers?

-If you’re an intermediate or advanced writer, do you have the patience to critique the work of a beginner?

-How often do you want to exchange work?

-How much time can you put into the group?

-Are you open to criticism?

As you may know, I’m matchmaking critique groups. The deadline to send me a questionnaire is FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2011. I can’t guarantee I’ll find a match for everyone, but I’m going to try. If I don’t find a match for you, use this post as a reference so you can search for the perfect critique group for you.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Critique Partner #3: Jonathan D. Allen

2011-11-15T11:15:00.002-06:00

I'm matchmaking critique groups. You can either come to my blog and read questionnaires filled out by potential critique partners to see if you find one you like. Or you can fill out a questionnaire yourself and send it to me. I might post it on my blog or I might do the work in the background and set you up with someone who might be a good fit for you.

DEADLINE FOR SENDING ALL QUESTIONNAIRES IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18.

Note: The questionnaires will be posted as they were given to me. I am not editing them, so any spelling or grammar mistake is theirs, not mine. Even if the writer has given me permission to use his/her name, I’ll refer to that person as Critique Partner # (whatever number he/she is assigned.) This does not mean anyone has been paired up yet. I simply needed a system to identify everyone.
Critique Partner #3 hasn’t told me not to post his information, so you can contact him directly if you wish or you can go through me.

Here’s a little bit about Critique Partner #3: Jonathan D. Allen

Critique Group Questionnaire

About You:

1. In a paragraph, tell us a bit about yourself. (Married? Kids? Pets? Job? Anything you’d like to share, but don’t talk about writing here. Those types of questions will follow.)

I live in Bethesda, MD with my fiancee, two cats, and two guinea pigs, for whom I named my publishing company. I currently work full-time as a technical writer at a major cable company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, and like to play guitar and video games in my spare time.

2. What made you decide to start writing?

I've been writing since I was a child; at first I wanted to capture the stories that went on in my head, and over time I wanted to share them with other people.

3. How long have you been writing at a serious level?

I've been writing seriously for 22 years, with 4-year break from 2006 to 2010.

4. How many completed manuscripts do you have under your belt?

It's a little fuzzy - I think I'm forgetting one. Either five or six.

5. What’s the genre of the story you’d like to have critiqued?

Urban Fantasy.

6. What genre(s) do you normally write?

Urban Fantasy, Western Fantasy, Sci-Fi

7. What genre(s) do you like to read for pleasure? Name some authors you’ve read (and enjoyed) recently.

Urban Fantasy, Horror, Thrillers, sci-fi, Weird Fiction, Steampunk. I've recently read Finch by Jeff VanderMeer, Wizard and Glass by Stephen King, and Origin by J.A. Konrath.

8. What genre(s) would you prefer not to read?

Paranormal Romance, romance in general.

9. Are you published? If yes, what, where, and when?

I have a self-published single, The Kayson Cycle, currently available on Amazon. I have a self-published novel currently in my editor's hands and due out at the end of November, The Corridors of the Dead.

10. Do you have an agent? Care to share his/her name and company? (Not required, just curious).

I do not.

11. Have you entered any contests and what were the results?

Yes. I entered the James Jones First Novel Competition. I didn't win.

12. Are you a member of RWA or any other writers’ groups?

I am not.

13. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A little of both. I start with a rough plot that allows for characters to take charge - I plot my book roughly in thirds, building each section based on the choices that came before.

14. If you join this group, what will you have the members critique?
a)something you’ve already finished and are planning on submitting to agents soon?
b)something your agent wants you to edit before she can submit?
c)something you’re still working on, but you’ll send the earlier part for critique and work on the rest?
d)something you’ve just started. You plan to write and have that chapter critiqued soon after?
e)other?

C. I'm in the process of a rewrite, but have two chapters ready for critique.

15. How often would you wish to exchange work to be critiqued and how many pages at a time?

Once a week, possibly, and anywhere between 5 and 15 pages.

16. What are your strong points and areas of improvement as a writer?

I've been told that I'm strong when it comes to dialogue. I've sharpened my sense of building a scene over the years, but it doesn't come naturally. I tend to overdo it with narrative, so I've been cutting way back.

17. Rate your strength/weakness in the areas below using the following scale:

1- Need a lot of help
2- Still working on this
3- I stumble sometimes
4- I rarely struggle with this
5- Very strong in this area

a) grammar - 5
b) spelling - 5
c) punctuation -5
d) description -3
e) dialogue - 5
f) narrative -3
g) POV - 4
h) passive voice - 4
i) action/tension - 4
j) tight writing - 3
k) show vs. tell - 3
l) GMCs - 4

18. Describe the GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts) for one of your characters.

Character Name: Kelli White

What does she want? She wants to solve the puzzle that will free her from her captivity; alternately, if she can't solve the puzzle, she wants a way to escape.

Why does she want it? She has always had a problem with feeling controlled. Living as a captive is incredibly difficult for her.

Why can't she get it? She is being held by a shadowy organization who values her hidden skills and will not release her (or kill her) until she has solved the "mind puzzle" that they have set forth for her.

19. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being fluffy and 5 being very tough but not rude) what level of critique are you comfortable giving/receiving?

5. My goal is to get better, not protect my ego.

20. How would you describe yourself as a critiquer (detailed, line edit type person, big picture/concept person, etc.)?

Big picture/concept, though I've also worked professionally as an editor, and am willing to look at that level if a writer requests it.

21. Do you have a website or blog? What’s the address? (Are you comfortable with this being posted on my blog? If not, please answer the question and let me know. I won’t post this but need to know more about you when matchmaking.)

I do. It's at http://jonathandallen.com.

Critique Group Specific:

22. Do you belong to or have you ever belonged to a critique group?

I have not.

23. A critique group isn’t a place to promote personal agendas such as religion or politics. Will that be a problem for you?

Not at all. We're all here to get better.

24. In this group, you may find writing with swears, graphic violence, and explicit sex scenes. Will that bother you? Can you objectively critique this type of work?

This won't bother me at all, my book features a few of these myself.

25. Are you looking for a long term critique group or just someone to help you with this particular story?

Long-term critique group, if possible.

Contact Information: (Please fill this out, but let me know if you don’t want this or part of this to be posted on my blog. For example, you may not want your email address posted but are okay with your name and website mentioned.)

Real name: Jonathan D Allen
Pseudonym: N/A
Website and/or blog: Shaggin the Muse, http://jonathandallen.com
Email address: crimnos at gmail dot com

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Before You Join a Critique Group

2011-11-14T09:44:00.002-06:00

Joining a critique group can help a writer grow to the next level, which is why most writers want to be a part of at least one group. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know if you’ll have a good fit with a group until you’ve tried it out, but there are some questions you can ask yourself to help prevent a bad match.

Sometimes writers jump into a crit group for the wrong reasons and are disappointed or even discouraged when they don’t get what they expected out of the group. A part of the problem can be the wrong match between the writer and the group, but occasionally, the difficulty stems from a writer who’s not prepared for criticism of their masterpiece.

Decide if you’re ready for a critique group by asking these questions:

-Why do you want to join a critique group?
-Are you looking for someone to praise your writing?
-Are you ready to be told your writing needs improvement?
-Can you use constructive criticism as a guide to help you better edit your manuscript?
-Do you have a good enough understanding of your story to know when you’re being offered advice that won’t work?
-Are you in love with your words and refuse to make any changes?
-Can you take some of the suggestions and leave the rest?

Just because you’re ready to become a member of a critique group doesn’t mean the first one you come across will be the one for you. Choose a critique group based on your answers to the following questions:

-What are the rules to the group?
-Does their schedule work with yours?
-Will you be able to receive as much as you give? (Some critique groups require you to crit a few chapters before you’re permitted to post one of your own.)
-Are the other writers working in the same genre as you? If not, do they have an understanding of your genre? How familiar are they with the genre specific “rules”?
-What writing level(s) do the other members fall under? Is there a mixture of beginners, intermediates, and advanced writers? Or is everyone along the same level? Are you truly at this level?
-How many members are in this group? Would you feel more comfortable with a small group or a larger one?

There are no wrong or right answers to the above questions, only honest answers that’ll help you know what kind of critique group you want to be a part of before you begin your search.

Do you have any questions or suggestions to add to this list that will help someone decide on a critique group?

Come back tomorrow for Critique Partner #3’s profile.

Don’t forget the deadline to submit a questionnaire for the critique group matchmaking services is Friday, November 18, 2011.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Critique Partner #2 - Pat Brown/ GA Parker

2011-11-11T09:36:00.000-06:00

In case you haven't noticed, I'm matchmaking critique groups. You can either come to my blog and read questionnaires filled out by potential critique partners to see if you find one you like. Or you can fill out a questionnaire yourself and send it to me. I might post it on my blog or I might do the work in the background and set you up with someone who might be a good fit for you.

DEADLINE FOR SENDING ALL QUESTIONNAIRES IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18.

Note: The questionnaires will be posted as they were given to me. I am not editing them, so any spelling or grammar mistake is theirs, not mine. Even if the writer has given me permission to use his/her name, I’ll refer to that person as Critique Partner # (whatever number he/she is assigned.) This does not mean anyone has been paired up yet. I simply needed a system to identify everyone.

Critique Partner #2 hasn’t told me not to post her information, so you can contact her directly if you wish or you can go through me.

Here’s a little bit about Critique Partner #2: Pat Brown/ GK Parker

Critique Group Questionnaire

About You:

1. In a paragraph, tell us a bit about yourself. (Married? Kids? Pets? Job? Anything you’d like to share, but don’t talk about writing here. Those types of questions will follow.)

Born in Western Canada, I spent 8 years in Los Angeles, where I fell in love with the city. I returned there earlier this year for 2 weeks and found I'm stil enamored. Never been married. I have a daughter, 23 who was born in the US. I'm an animal lover and have had some kind of pet most of my life. They've run the gamut from rats, rabbits and tropical fish to cats and dogs. Dogs by far are my favorite and my favorite dog was a sweet Doberman called Slik. I'm a horse lover too and while I never owned one, I have ridden most of my life.

2. What made you decide to start writing?

I grew up in a family that loved books, and always had them in the house. I loved reading and words and telling my own stories only seemed natural. I've written since I was very young, basically since I knew how to spell and write on paper.

3. How long have you been writing at a serious level?

I grew serious about writing in the early tweny-first century when I switched from writing Science Fiction to crime ficiton. That was when my love for L.A really came in to the picture, and my work. I never cared for frothy, light fiction, I always prefered the darker, more complext stuff. In Science Fiction I read 'hard' SF, that is the science was more realistic. With crime fiction I never grew to like cozy mysteries.

4. How many completed manuscripts do you have under your belt?

I have 12 novels in print, several short stories and as of now, 2 historical novels completed and not sold and 1 historical WIP. I also have a crime fiction novel unpublished.

5. What’s the genre of the story you’d like to have critiqued?

Mainstream Historical

6. What genre(s) do you normally write?

Up until a year ago I wrote contemporary crime fiction, mostly police procedurals, with some suspense as well. Now I see myself as an historical author.

7. What genre(s) do you like to read for pleasure? Name some authors you’ve read (and enjoyed) recently.

Crime ficiton by the likes of Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, T. Jefferson Parker, and Joseph Waumbaugh among others. The best book I've read recently was actually 2 parts, split into 2 books. It was called Daemon and Freedom and are without a doubt, the best cyber thriller I have ever read.

8. What genre(s) would you prefer not to read?

No fantasy, vampires, werewolves, or any fantasy creatures. I don't read inspirational books, and I don't think I'd be a good critiquer of the genre.

9. Are you published? If yes, what, where, and when?

I've been published for 6 years, starting with L.A. Heat, first published by Alyson Books and republished by MLR Press. There are 4 other books in the series. I have another series with 2 books in it and a number of standalones.

10. Do you have an agent? Care to share his/her name and company? (Not required, just curious).

I recently signed with an agent for my historical novel. Her name is Drea Cahone and she is with The Rights Factory. I had 2 other agents over the last few years. One sold L.A. Heat, the other one wasn't able to sell the novel he signed, so he dropped me.

11. Have you entered any contests and what were the results?

I've never really been a fan of contests.

12. Are you a member of RWA or any other writers’ groups?

Right now the only organizations I belong to are Sisters in Crime and the Historical Novel Society.

13. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Pure pantster. I've tried plotting, but it always failed so now I just give in the urge to write with only a vague idea of where it's going in the end. And often that changes as the story grows.

14. If you join this group, what will you have the members critique?

c)something you’re still working on, but you’ll send the earlier part for critique and work on the rest?

15. How often would you wish to exchange work to be critiqued and how many pages at a time?

In order to get a real feel for the novel, I think at least 4-5 chapters or at least 50 pages should be read. The first 50 pages are so critical and often need the most work.

16. What are your strong points and areas of improvement as a writer?

My characters always get praise. And my desriptions are good. j

17. Rate your strength/weakness in the areas below using the following scale:
1- Need a lot of help
2- Still working on this
3- I stumble sometimes
4- I rarely struggle with this
5- Very strong in this area

a) grammar 2 – still working on it
b) spelling 5
b) punctuation 2-3 depending on which editor you talked to
d) description 5 – very strong and use all the senses
e) dialogue 5 – strong and usually good at giving unique voice to characters
f) narrative 3 – I have to watch I don't overdue it
g) POV 3 – I try to avoid overt POV problems but I'm not always good at picking out subtle shifts
h) passive voice 4
i) action/tension 3 - I have to watch that my tension doesn't dissipate
j) tight writing 3
k) show vs. tell 4
l) GMCs 4

18. Describe the GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts) for one of your characters.

Finn Gallagher is a man of 26 who wants to find his own place in the world. He's sure it's not with Sean and Caitlin Culyan, the couple who rescued him and took him out of the slums of New York. He loves his adopted family, though he and Sean are always at loggerheads, which adds to his desire to find something else. He doesn't want to be a rancher, like Sean.

His goal is finding his own place in the world

His motiviation, in the beginning, is to be free of what he sees as the constant conflict between him and Sean.

His conflicts are many. Sean and him have always been in conflict. Finn, orphaned at a very young age, poured all his love into Caitlin as his mother. But as he grew up, he found he had another kind of love for her. He knows this is wrong. Sean sends Finn away on business and to defy him, Finn takes his latest lover, a Mexican woman, Lupe. This puts him in Sean's cross-hairs along with Lupe's parents. Added is the fac t that a white man could not having anythjing to do with a Latino.

19. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being fluffy and 5 being very tough but not rude) what level of critique are you comfortable giving/receiving?

I would seriously like any critiquer of my work be as honest and brutal as they can be – as long as it's aimed at improving the novel, and not a personal attack. I don't want anyone to think they can't tell me the truth

20. How would you describe yourself as a critiquer (detailed, line edit type person, big picture/concept person, etc.)?

I do a bit of everything though the line editing will be more suggestions to make a word or phrase better. I will insert commas or such. The more of a book I can read, the better I am at giving a big picture. It's nearly impossible to see the big picture unless you read the whole book. I will also will say when I'm confused or something doesn't work.

21. Do you have a website or blog? What’s the address? (Are you comfortable with this being posted on my blog? If not, please answer the question and let me know. I won’t post this but need to know more about you when matchmaking.)

Historical Website: http://pabrown.com/Gkparker/
Historical Blog: http://gkparkerhistorynoir.blogspot.com/

Critique Group Specific:

22. Do you belong to or have you ever belonged to a critique group?

I belong to 2 off line groups and 1 group where we will swap novels occasionally

23. A critique group isn’t a place to promote personal agendas such as religion or politics. Will that be a problem for you?

Not at all. I come to improve my writing and if I can, help others

24. In this group, you may find writing with swears, graphic violence, and explicit sex scenes. Will that bother you? Can you objectively critique this type of work?

I've written just about everything. Graphic violence and erotic stories. So I can be totally objective.

25. Are you looking for a long term critique group or just someone to help you with this particular story?

I have always wanted to find a critique group or partner who 'got' what I write and knows where I'm going

Contact Information: (Please fill this out, but let me know if you don’t want this or part of this to be posted on my blog. For example, you may not want your email address posted but are okay with your name and website mentioned.)

No problem. Post it all
Real name: Pat Brown
Pseudonym: GK Parker
Website and/or blog: http://pabrown.com/Gkparker/
Email address: pat.mysterywriter@gmail.com

Come back Monday for another post about critique groups and Tuesday for a look at Critique Partner #3.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Critique Partner #1: Tricia Quinnies

2011-11-10T09:19:00.000-06:00

In case you didn’t get the memo, I’m matchmaking critique groups. Go here for the original post. You can either come to my blog and read questionnaires filled out by potential critique partners to see if you find one you like. Or you can fill out a questionnaire yourself and send it to me. I might post it on my blog or I might do the work in the background and set you up with someone who might be a good fit for you.

DEADLINE FOR SENDING ALL QUESTIONNAIRES IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18.

Note: The questionnaires will be posted as they were given to me. I am not editing them, so any spelling or grammar mistake is theirs, not mine. Even if the writer has given me permission to use his/her name, I’ll refer to that person as Critique Partner # (whatever number he/she is assigned.) This does not mean anyone has been paired up yet. I simply needed a system to identify everyone.

Critique Partner #1 hasn’t told me not to post her information, so you can contact her directly if you wish or you can go through me.

Here’s a little bit about Critique Partner #1:

Critique Group Questionnaire
About You: Tricia Quinnies

1. In a paragraph, tell us a bit about yourself. (Married? Kids? Pets? Job? Anything you’d like to share, but don’t talk about writing here. Those types of questions will follow.)
A: I live in a house of fun and chaos. I am the mother of three boys(10 years old to 16) and married to a great guy for 19 years. My mini long-haired doxie, also a boy, keeps me company during the day while I write and try not to fold laundry. And now that all three sons are learning to cook for themselves I’ve had time to road trip to St. Paul, MN to see my favorite band the Foo Fighters. And I’m trying to achieve more than the lotus position in my yoga pants.

2. What made you decide to start writing?
A: Love reading, letters and words. Judith McNaught. Journalism Major and Retail Book Buyer.

3. How long have you been writing at a serious level?
A: Three years

4. How many completed manuscripts do you have under your belt?
A: One WIP

5. What’s the genre of the story you’d like to have critiqued?
A: Contemporary Romance and Women’s Fiction w/Romantic Elements

6. What genre(s) do you normally write?
A: Same as above and would like to someday write historical romance or if ever brave enough—
British mystery

7. What genre(s) do you like to read for pleasure? Name some authors you’ve read (and enjoyed) recently.
A: Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Deborah Crombie

8. What genre(s) would you prefer not to read?
A: BDSM

9. Are you published? If yes, what, where, and when?
A: No

10. Do you have an agent? Care to share his/her name and company? (Not required, just curious).
A: No

11. Have you entered any contests and what were the results?
A: Yes. I entered my first four contests the summer of 2011. I did not final and have used the positive bits of advice as a learning experience.

12. Are you a member of RWA or any other writers’ groups?
A: Yes and Member or WisRWA

13. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
A: Pantser-- I like when my characters take me on a journey but I try to map it out in three acts first.

14. If you join this group, what will you have the members critique?
A: Something I’ve finished and would like to submit to agents or editor in 2012.

a)something you’ve already finished and are planning on submitting to agents soon?
b)something your agent wants you to edit before she can submit?
c)something you’re still working on, but you’ll send the earlier part for critique and work on the rest?
d)something you’ve just started. You plan to write and have that chapter critiqued soon after?
e)other?

15. How often would you wish to exchange work to be critiqued and how many pages at a time?
A: Weekly and a chapter at a time(13 to14 pages)

16. What are your strong points and areas of improvement as a writer?
A: Description is a strong point and I’m working to improve structure and G/M/C.

17. Rate your strength/weakness in the areas below using the following scale:
1- Need a lot of help
2- Still working on this
3- I stumble sometimes
4- I rarely struggle with this
5- Very strong in this area

a) grammar—3
b) spelling—5
c) punctuation—3
d) description— 5
e) dialogue—2
f) narrative—4
g) POV—3
h) passive voice—3
i) action/tension—2
j) tight writing—2
k) show vs. tell—3
l) GMCs—3

18. Describe the GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts) for one of your characters.
A: In a current romance novella I’m working on for NaNoWriMo my main character, Claire, is trying to retrieve a painting from a recently separated artist to get her job back at the museum where she’s organized her first fledgling Steam Punk exhibit. But the artist is using the piece of art to mollify his soon to be ex-wife in their divorce negotiations.

19. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being fluffy and 5 being very tough but not rude) what level of critique are you comfortable giving/receiving?
A: 4 Tough but not rude and open to edgy writing

20. How would you describe yourself as a critiquer (detailed, line edit type person, big picture/concept person, etc.)?
A: Detailed, big picture and cheerleadier/coach.

21. Do you have a website or blog? What’s the address? (Are you comfortable with this being posted on my blog? If not, please answer the question and let me know. I won’t post this but need to know more about you when matchmaking.)
A: Building my blog, Fiona’s Quest and working on a web address. I’m still deciding on a surname for my pen name.

Critique Group Specific:
22. Do you belong to or have you ever belonged to a critique group?
A: On-line

23. A critique group isn’t a place to promote personal agendas such as religion or politics. Will that be a problem for you?
A: No

24. In this group, you may find writing with swears, graphic violence, and explicit sex scenes. Will that bother you? Can you objectively critique this type of work?
A: Yes

25. Are you looking for a long term critique group or just someone to help you with this particular story?
A: Long term

Contact Information: (Please fill this out, but let me know if you don’t want this or part of this to be posted on my blog. For example, you may not want your email address posted but are okay with your name and website mentioned.)
Real name: Tricia Quinnies
Pseudonym: Fiona Richards
Website and/or blog: see above
Email address: tquinnies@gmail.com

Come back tomorrow for a peek at Critique Partner #2.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

The Benefits of a Critique Group

2011-11-09T09:47:00.000-06:00

Joining a critique group is an important part of a writer’s growth. But it’s not easy. You’ll have to take time away from writing your book to critique someone else’s work. Why should do that? Because someone will do the same for you.

But critique groups are more than an exchange of chapters amongst their members. Critiquing another person’s work sharpens your editorial eye. The more you critique, the better you’ll become at self-editing. Most abilities improve with practice and this is no different. However, the act of critiquing isn’t the only thing that will teach you how to recognize problem areas and how to correct them. If your group is set up so each critiqued chapter is posted for all members to see, you’ll surely learn a thing or two from the way others critique. Maybe you’ll discover a new term, like buried dialogue. Or maybe you’ll see how one member always seems to find logic problems like, “How can he hit her with a bat when the bat is still in the living room and they’re in the kitchen?” The more you notice what the other members notice, the more you’ll train your eyes to do the same.

How is a critique group different from having beta readers go over your work? Generally speaking, betas won’t look at the small things or technical issues like grammar. They’re going to read the book in one shot, so they’ll look for big picture problems. This is important, but you won’t learn as much this way. Critiquing a few chapters at a time forces you to slow down and dissect each section. You can still see the big picture issues, but now you’ll notice little things like her eyes were green in chapter one and now they’re blue. Or you might find a scene that doesn’t work for you, but you can’t figure out why. If the critique is posted for the group, you can bring this up. Another member might be able to find the problem and suggest ways of fixing it. This is important because even in your own writing, there may be parts that don’t quite feel right but since you can’t spot the problem, you leave the scene as it is. With a critique group, you can ask for help. Or you can post the scene as it is and see if the members pick up on the issue.

There are other benefits of a critique group. You’ll have the chance to read the work of others for free. If you need to brainstorm, your critique group is there to help. Most of the time, there’s at least one member who excels in grammar. If your group follows a schedule, you’re locked into pumping out a certain amount of words during that timeframe. Talk about great motivation! Plus, the others will understand your struggles and support you during your journey to publication. This is something a writer really needs considering non-writers just don’t get it.

A critique group isn’t for everyone. While there are plenty of benefits of a crit group, there are also some disadvantages. We’ll talk about those in another post.

In case you missed my last post, I’m matchmaking critique groups. Tomorrow and Friday, I’ll post a questionnaire from a writer in search of a crit group or partner. Please spread the word. The more writers involved, the better your chances of finding a good match.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

The Great Critique Group Matchmaking Service Is HERE.

2011-11-07T10:31:00.000-06:00

My next series of posts will be about critique groups and partners, betas, and writing groups. But before I get into what these are and why they’re important, I want to offer my services as a matchmaker. Lately, I’ve been approached by a few writers who’d like me to be their critique partner. Unfortunately, I’m too busy to exchange work with anyone (or even write on a regular basis.) However, that doesn’t mean I can’t help you find a match.

If you’re looking for a critique group, fill out the questionnaire below with the questions and answers, then email this to me as an attachment. Please put “Critique Group Matchmaking” in the subject line or I won’t open the email. Now, listen carefully (or read with focus.) I’m going to post your questionnaire on my blogs. I won’t post your name or your contact information if you don’t want me to, but everything else will go as written. This means, you need to have the questions AND answers in the correct order when you email me. I won’t edit your questionnaire, so please make sure you don’t have any spelling mistakes. That might scare off potential critique partners.

Your questionnaire should look like this:

1. How long have you been writing?
A: I’ve been writing since I was a child but only started to take it seriously about eight years ago.

Email the document as a Microsoft Word document using Times New Roman or Ariel font size 12. My email address is: lynnette_labelle at hotmail dot com. Note: if you don’t spell my name correctly (with two n’s), I won’t get the email. I’ll let you know when your questionnaire has been received. If you don’t get a notice within 24 hours, send your document once more.

If the writer chooses to add his/her contact information to the post, you may contact him/her directly. If not, let me know who you’re interested in and send me your questionnaire. If I feel you MIGHT be a good fit (this is all guesswork), I’ll send your contact information and questionnaire to the person you requested. I’ll also try to place people together who haven’t requested a specific person. Make sense?

Critique Group Questionnaire

About You:

1. In a paragraph, tell us a bit about yourself. (Married? Kids? Pets? Job? Anything you’d like to share, but don't talk about writing here. Those types of questions will follow.)

2. What made you decide to start writing?

3. How long have you been writing at a serious level?

4. How many completed manuscripts do you have under your belt?

5. What's the genre of the story you’d like to have critiqued?

6. What genre(s) do you normally write?

7. What genre(s) do you like to read for pleasure? Name some authors you’ve read (and enjoyed) recently.

8. What genre(s) would you prefer not to read?

9. Are you published? If yes, what, where, and when?

10. Do you have an agent? Care to share his/her name and company? (Not required, just curious).

11. Have you entered any contests and what were the results?

12. Are you a member of RWA or any other writers' groups?

13. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

14. If you join this group, what will you have the members critique?
a)something you’ve already finished and are planning on submitting to agents soon?
b)something your agent wants you to edit before she can submit?
c)something you’re still working on, but you’ll send the earlier part for critique and work on the rest?
d)something you’ve just started. You plan to write and have that chapter critiqued soon after?
e)other?

15. How often would you wish to exchange work to be critiqued and how many pages at a time?

16. What are your strong points and areas of improvement as a writer?
17. Rate your strength/weakness in the areas below using the following scale:

1- Need a lot of help
2- Still working on this
3- I stumble sometimes
4- I rarely struggle with this
5- Very strong in this area

a) grammar b) spelling c) punctuation d) description e) dialogue f) narrative g) POV h) passive voice i) action/tension j) tight writing k) show vs. tell l) GMCs.

18. Describe the GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts) for one of your characters.

19. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being fluffy and 5 being very tough but not rude) what level of critique are you comfortable giving/receiving?

20. How would you describe yourself as a critiquer (detailed, line edit type person, big picture/concept person, etc.)?

21. Do you have a website or blog? What’s the address? (Are you comfortable with this being posted on my blog? If not, please answer the question and let me know. I won’t post this but need to know more about you when matchmaking.)

Critique Group Specific:

22. Do you belong to or have you ever belonged to a critique group?

23. A critique group isn't a place to promote personal agendas such as religion or politics. Will that be a problem for you?

24. In this group, you may find writing with swears, graphic violence, and explicit sex scenes. Will that bother you? Can you objectively critique this type of work?

25. Are you looking for a long term critique group or just someone to help you with this particular story?

Contact Information: (Please fill this out, but let me know if you don’t want this or part of this to be posted on my blog. For example, you may not want your email address posted but are okay with your name and website mentioned.)

Real name:
Pseudonym:
Website and/or blog:
Email address:

Good luck on your search.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

How to Write Tight - Part 4

2011-11-02T09:23:00.001-05:00

The past few posts have been about how to write tight. Here’s the last installment of this series.

12. Cut needless words. Every writer has his favorite words whether he realizes it or not. “Just” is often overused. For example, “She just wanted to sneak another cookie.” This can be tightened like this, “She wanted another cookie.” Or, “She wanted to sneak another cookie.”

13. Know when to use tags. If it’s obvious who’s speaking, you don’t need to use a dialogue tag. Often the action tag reveals who’s speaking, so it’s redundant to use a dialogue tag as well. For example, “Jimmy touched her shoulder. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said.” This can be tightened like this, “Jimmy touched her shoulder. ‘I’m sorry.’” There was no need to write “he said” because we knew Jimmy said this.

14. Look for “was” + “ing” verbs. This is passive writing and too wordy. Instead, change the verb tense to make the sentence tighter and more active. For example, “He was watching her.” This can be tightened like this, “He watched her.” Instead of, “She was dancing all night.” Try, “She danced all night.”

15. Avoid non-specific words like “it’ and “thing.” Writing tight isn’t just about cutting the word count. It’s also about using specific words. For example, “She didn’t want to do it.” Try, “She didn’t want to do her homework.” Whatever “it” or “thing” is replacing, try using the actual word instead. This can’t always be done without ruining the flow of the writing, but you’ll find if you make an effort to replace non-specific words like this, your writing will be stronger. AND, try to avoid starting sentences, especially paragraphs with “it.”

Now it’s your turn. What are some of the tricks you use to tighten your writing?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

How to Write Tight - Part 3

2011-10-31T10:12:00.000-05:00

In my last two posts, I’ve talked about ways to write tight or at least self-edit to make it appear that way. Check out these tricks.

9. Search for “ly” words. You don’t have to cut them all, but it’s good practice to look at them and decide if you could remove the adverb and use a stronger verb instead. For example, “Betty spoke softly.” This can be tightened like this, “Betty whispered.” Or, “He walked into the room in a leisurely manner.” This can be tightened like this, “He sauntered into the room.”

10. Use strong nouns and cut adjectives. This doesn’t mean you need to delete all adjectives, but you want to use them sparingly. For example, “The cute, little, young dog ran quickly as the spunky, skinny cat chased him.” This can be shortened to, “The puppy sprinted as the cat chased him.” Granted, sometimes you want the extra details an adjective can give you, but use them in moderation. Here’s another example, “The huge, old, run-down, ghost-filled house was haunted.” This can be tightened like this, “The mansion was haunted.” Or, “The old mansion was haunted.” Sometimes you want to go into details with a description, but you can’t do that with every description.

Make sure you don’t cut pertinent information. If the details are necessary to move the story forward or reveal something about the main characters or their past, you’ll want to go into more details. The problem some writers have is they describe EVERYTHING. Know what to keep, what to delete, and what to weave into the story.

11. Watch for “repeaters.” These are words that you use over and over and over again. I know. These are hard to spot on your own. Have someone else read your story to find them. Or change the font and color, and/or print out your story so you see it in a different light. You’d be surprised how many times your characters smile, walk, laugh, nod, and shrug. Substitute the word with another or use a different way to show the same emotion. For example, if the character has smiled three times in a row, you might want to have him laugh or say something so we know he’s happy instead of having him smile.

Wednesday, I’ll post the last part of this series. Happy Halloween!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

How to Write Tight - Part 2

2011-10-26T10:14:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I talked about a few ways to ensure your writing is tight. I gave you questions to ask yourself to see if a scene or conversation is necessary, and I told you not to overuse names in dialogue or to beat the reader over the head. If you missed this post, scroll down. It should be below this one.

The lesson is not over. I still have plenty of tricks to share. Take a look…

5. Don’t overdo descriptions. A dark blue dress is a navy dress. See, you’ve cut one word already. Not so hard, right? Take a look at this… “He wore a tattered green shirt, ripped on one shoulder, and stained across the front with something yellow. His jeans had holes in the knees—not for a fashion statement—and his shoes didn’t match.” If this person is a main character, you could keep this as it is. The problem is that writers tend to describe everyone as detailed as this. If the character is a secondary character, mention one to three things about him. If she’s a walk-on, only note one thing about her, something you’d notice as a first impression. Otherwise, the same description above can be shortened like this, “He dressed like a pauper.” Or, “He dressed like a bum.” Or, “He dressed like he shopped at a thrift store.” The reader will still be able to create a similar image in her mind.

6. Choose descriptive verbs instead of weak verbs that need enhancing with adverbs and more details. For example, “Billy walked with a limp.” This could be tightened like this, “Billy limped.” Go through your manuscript to find “walked” and see if you can use a more specific verb to show how the character walked.

7. Avoid backstory or info dumps. Instead of stopping the forward motion of the story by writing paragraphs or pages of details about the character’s past, weave all of this into the story through dialogue, flashbacks, and narrative.

8. Simplify your sentences. Watch for these examples in particular:

-stand up = stand (The only way to stand is “up”, so it’s not necessary to write both words.)

-sit down = sit (The same logic applies here.)

-rose up = rose (And here.)

-turned back = turned (We’ll be able to tell by the context if he turned back or around, so no need to add the extra word.)

-turned around = turned (Same logic applies here.)

-he thought to himself = he thought (He can’t think to anyone else but himself, so this is unnecessary. It would be stronger if you showed him thinking instead—that’s deep POV.)

-he shrugged his shoulders = he shrugged (What else could he be shrugging but his shoulders?)

-he nodded his head = he nodded (The same logic applies here.)

-she pointed her finger = she pointed (And here.)

-he whispered softly = he whispered (You can’t exactly whisper loudly.)

-she yelled loudly = she yelled (Yelling is loud. No need to tell us something we already know.)

-she smiled to herself = she smiled (This is too wordy. We should be able to tell by the context that she’s smiling to herself and not someone else.)

-she crossed her arms over her chest = she crossed her arms (That’s usually how people cross their arms. If she’s doing some other sort of arm crossing, like over her stomach, then you can go into more details to show the reader what you’re describing is a little different.)

-he looked up at the sky = he looked at the sky (Where else would the sky be?)

-he glanced down at his feet = he glanced at his feet (The same logic applies here.)

See? Writing tight isn’t so hard, right? Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to actually write tight. You just have to know how to self-edit so it appears that way.

There’s still more to come in my next two posts. See you then!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

How to Write Tight - Part 1

2011-10-24T09:43:00.002-05:00

Have you gotten rejection letters saying the writing isn’t tight enough? Have contest judges told you to tighten your writing? Are you scratching your head because nobody’s really explained what that means or how to fix the problem?

Get ready. Here’s a lesson you won’t want to miss.

Why is it so important to write tight? Today’s agents and editors expect tight writing because that’s what readers want. For the most part, readers want to get into the story and to the point. They don’t want to have to skim through fluff. Many of them would rather close the book instead.

Here are some self-editing tricks you can use when looking specifically at tightening your work.

1. Ask yourself… Is every scene essential to the main character’s goals, motivations, and conflicts? Does the scene advance the story or reveal something about the characters? If not, the scene is fluff or filler. Even if this scene is the best scene you’ve ever written, if it doesn’t add to the story (or wouldn’t change the story if you deleted it), you must cut it. Sorry. That doesn’t mean you have to trash the scene. Save it in another folder. You never know. This same scene or portions of it may work well in another story. If not, you’ll always have it and can dig it up to read and cherish whenever you want.

2. Ditto for dialogue… Too many writers think they need to write every little detail about the conversation between two characters. Not true. In reality, we might have small talk about the weather, kind of like a warm up to “the real reason we called,” but we don’t want to read chitchat in novels. Get to the point. Make sure there’s a reason for every word used in the dialogue.

3. Don’t overuse names. This is an area where you want to imitate real life. Think about it. How often do you call your friends by name when you’re talking with them? Not much, if at all, right? The same should apply to your characters when they’re talking. There are other ways to show the reader who’s talking without mentioning names in the dialogue.

4. Don’t beat the reader over the head. Say it once and move on. You don’t have to keep repeating the same idea, even if you’re using different words to do so. Sometimes, a writer will do this in the same paragraph. For example: “Joan’s scraped knee burned. The open wound screamed. Her cut shot pain to her knee.” We get it. She hurt her knee and is in pain. Pick one way to describe this and move on. Another repetition issue is when the writer mentions something in one paragraph and then repeats it a few paragraphs later. For example, “Damn. A flat tire. I’ll have to get this fixed before I can meet up with Peter.” Then, Suzie does something and two paragraphs or more go by. Finally, the tow truck driver arrives and Suzie says, “Oh, thank goodness you’re here. I have a flat and need to get it fixed.” This would’ve been obvious to the driver, and the reader already knows, so there’s no need to say more than, “Thank goodness you’re here.” Of course, the writer could’ve done worse. He could’ve shown the conversation where Suzie called the towing company, so the reader would’ve heard about the problem three times.

I have many more tricks to share with you but don’t want to overwhelm you. Look for more ways to tighten your writing in my next few posts.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Beat Writer's Block

2011-10-19T09:51:00.002-05:00

Do you ever experience writer’s block? If you’re a writer, I don’t think you can avoid it, but how do you overcome the brick wall that keeps you from your muse?

I’ve written about this before but wanted to include the great ideas some of you suggested in my comments section. Plus, I have some new followers who may not have read the original post…

One way to over come writer’s block is to start a new document (so you don’t mess with the good one) and take the scene you were struggling with. Now, do your best to make this scene the worst scene you’ve ever written. Destroy it. Add all the adverbs you want. Make your characters one dimensional. Have floating body parts and talking heads. Dump all kinds of info and backstory. Get all that bad writing out of your system. Now, read it. Laugh. And realize no matter what you write afterwards won’t be nearly as bad as this. Sometimes what’s blocking you is a little thing called perfectionism. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and realize it takes a lot of effort to really create a writing disaster. While you’ll most likely have to tweak your work after you write, at least you’ve grown as a writer. Just think. If you know enough to purposely ruin a good scene, then you have the knowledge to fix it, too.

Another twist to this trick is to open a new document, then copy and paste the last scene you were working on before you became blocked. This time, try several different scenarios for this scene. Doing this gives you the creative freedom you need to experiment with the scene. Sometimes, we get blocked because we’re afraid what we write in our manuscript will be written in stone. Although we consciously realize we can always go back and change something, occasionally, our muse forgets. So, try writing “outside the box” and when you get back into the grove, copy and paste this new scene into your manuscript.

Ask yourself why you’re blocked. Are your characters saying you’ve taken a wrong turn and should go back and change something? Or does your block have nothing to do with your story but everything to do with your life? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you stressed out? Are you sick or not feeling well? Are the kids fighting in the background? If you can figure out why you’re blocked, it may be easier to fix the problem.

Other ways to overcome writer’s block are:

-take time away from writing
-remove yourself from your desk and go for a walk
-switch to a different computer or to a notepad
-change the font or color you’re writing with
-recite the scene into a digital recorder and play it back to see if it works
-brainstorm with other writers
-edit a different scene or project
-take a nap
-jump into the shower
-grab a cup of coffee
-exercise
-read a book
-watch a movie
-put on headphones and listen to loud music
-remove the clutter around you—clean
-work on another story
-write a letter to your character about how frustrated you are with him
-have your character write you a letter to you about what he’d like to do in the scene instead of what you’re telling him to do

Unfortunately, finding your lost muse doesn’t mean you’ll write the perfect manuscript, but it’ll get you writing again. Worry about the editing later.

Maybe you can’t figure out why you’re stuck, but you know how to overcome the barrier. Take note of whatever works for you and keep that tucked away for the next time you need to overcome writer’s block.

Do you have any other ideas on how a writer can beat writer’s block?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

8 Plotting Pointers

2011-10-17T09:27:00.000-05:00

As a freelance editor, sometimes I come across a manuscript that is well-written, but there’s no plot. The characters are simply meandering around with no real purpose. No plot? No story. No book deal. No fans. No money. See how you can miss out on a lot if you don’t ensure your story has a plot?

Here are eight pointers on plotting:

1. Know where to start. A story should begin at or near the inciting incident. This is the moment when the protagonist’s normal life is suddenly turned upside down and her journey begins. This means the story has already begun before we opened the book, but we won’t learn about this backstory until later on. For now, we want to enjoy the moment, see how the character handles herself, what she has to lose, and where she’s going from here. The backstory can be slipped in later through flashbacks, exposition, inference, or dialogue. Don’t DUMP it at the beginning or anywhere for that matter.

2. Keep your characters true to themselves. A mild-mannered man won’t hit his girlfriend. Unless the writer has shown us a different side to the character, we won’t believe the man could be violent. Motivate, motivate, motivate. We’ll believe a character can and will do anything as long as it’s properly motivated and makes sense within the story.

3. Nothing should happen at random. Every element in a story must have significance. Always ask, “Why this person and not another? Why this place instead of that? Why would he say or do this? What is its purpose? Does it move the story forward? Does it reveal something about the character? Will the story still make sense without this?”

4. Tick tock goes the clock. The protagonist should have a sense of urgency. If she doesn’t attain her goal by such and such, this will happen… Without this ticking time bomb looming over her, the heroine can easily get distracted and forget what’s at stake. Or she can simply take her time attaining her goal, but the reader probably won’t stick around.

5. Show character growth. Make ‘em suffer. I know it’s tempting to give your characters a break. You don’t want to hurt your darlings. But, you MUST torture them. Every time life starts to get easy for your characters, another hurdle must present itself. The more things the hero has to overcome, the stronger he’ll be in the end.

6. Subtly foreshadow things to come. You want the reader to realize the clues to the killer’s identity were there all along. If only she’d been paying closer attention and hadn’t been so focused on the story… A miracle shouldn’t solve the problem. The villain shouldn’t suddenly cave or become weak. The final clue to solve the mystery won’t drop from the sky. And the killer won’t be someone we’ve never seen or heard about before. But remember, foreshadowing something is done subtly or you’re no longer foreshadowing, you’re giving it away.

7. Resolve it. Whatever the conflict may be, and no matter how hard it’s been for the hero to overcome it, at some point, he must do just that. By the end of the story, he should’ve learned enough and grown enough that he can finally attain his goal. The reason the hero can now overthrow the villain is because the hero has grown and is stronger, not because the villain is weaker.

8. Remember your readers. Make sure your story fits within the genre you write and what your readers expect. It’s okay step outside the box, but don’t run from it.

What are some plotting pointers you’d like to share?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Writing Advice from an Editor

2011-10-12T10:29:00.000-05:00

As a freelance editor, I’m often asked what advice I’d give writers when it comes to writing. I could go on and on about this topic, but I decided to compile ten things all writers should do before publishing their book.

1. Read in your genre every day. While reading on a daily basis is good, reading in your genre is better. This keeps you on top of what’s been done already and it allows your subconscious mind to learn the subtle tricks for successful storytelling in that genre.

2. Learn the craft of writing like your life depends on it. Too many writers don’t bother to really learn the craft of writing. Sure, it’s a great accomplishment to complete a 90,000 word book. Not everyone can do that. However, just because the novel is written, doesn’t mean it’s publishable. Maybe the story is even good, but if the manuscript is filled with craft errors, the book will fail. Readers, whether they’re agents, editors, or simply people who love to read, have expectations. If you don’t know what they are, how are you supposed to fulfill the reader’s needs? There are rules to writing publishable novels. Learn them.

3. Design your writing like an engineer. Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, at some point you need to figure out where the story is going. For plotters, that happens before you write. You’ll probably have character sketches written out, GMC (goal, motivation, conflict) sheets filled, and a plot outline to follow. Pantsers still need to do these things, but they usually worry about this after they’ve completed the first draft, once they begin their editing stage. Some writers do a little of both styles. How you design your story isn’t important, but you need to do it. Stories and characters have arcs. Make sure yours are obvious. The more you know about your characters, the easier it is to make them appear three dimensional. But you have to sit and think about all of this before you polish your novel.

4. Love your story as if you are its mother. If you don’t love your writing, nobody will. Getting published is hard. Your story will go through all kinds of scrutiny. If you don’t love the characters and the plot like you’re their mother, you’ll probably give up before the battle is won. However, that doesn’t mean you need to hold onto every single word you’ve written. Even a mother knows when it’s time to let her baby go. If your editor or agent or several critique partners have told you to cut a scene, chapter, or character, you should probably listen. Don’t take this the wrong way. There’s a danger in listening to everyone. If you’re in a critique group, you have to know your characters and your story well enough to understand when fellow critiquers’ advice makes sense and when it doesn’t. Often your critique partners are at the same writing level as you, so they don’t necessarily know better, even if they have good intensions. The best way to judge whether or not to change something is if more than one person suggested the change, or if an industry professional made the suggestion.

5. Edit your writing like you’re that anal retentive teacher you hated in school. You remember that teacher everyone loved to hate because she was so damn anal retentive that you had to think twice as hard in her class? Well, now you are that teacher. Search and destroy any error in your manuscript. And then do it again, until your story is so polished, it squeaks.

6. Have other writers read and critique your work. As much as family and friends have good intentions when reading your work, most of them will never be honest enough to help you grow as a writer. Either they don’t want to hurt your feelings or they don’t know how to judge if a book is publishable or not. Heck, even agents struggle with that. Your best bet is to join a critique group and have other writers critique your work.

7. Decide which path to take: traditional publishing, e-publishing, or self-publishing. Before you jump into the great agent chase, research these three options and make sure you follow the path that best suits your needs. There are pros and cons to each.

8. Advocate for your work with the passion of a politician. No matter whether you’re self-publishing or not, you’ll still need to market your book. This is another reason you need to love it because you have to convince others they’ll love it, too. The best way to do this is to stay focused. Who is your target reader? How do you reach her? How can you convince her that your book is different from all the others like it? Pretend your book is running for office. How can you encourage readers to buy into your campaign?

9. Learn how to use the internet to your advantage. Start a website and keep it active with a blog. Learn about social networking like Twitter, Facebook, Google +, etc… and how they can work for you. BUT don’t fall into their trap. Too many writers get carried away on these sites and waste too much of their precious writing time as they tweet about the weather or how much they want another cup of coffee. Use these systems in moderation.

10. Write every day. That’s the only way you’re going to finish your story and the next and the next. Plus, writing every day gets you into a routine and forces you to learn self-discipline, something you’ll need once you’re published and on a deadline.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Buried Dialogue: The Unofficial Rules

2011-10-10T08:59:00.002-05:00

Last week, we discussed buried or hidden dialogue and I promised to continue today with the unofficial rules. Here they are:

1) Show dialogue, narration, dialogue.
Ex. “This is silly.” She looked away. “There’s no way I could put that on.”

2) Show dialogue then narration.
Ex. “I’m coming.” She rushed down the stairs with her purse in hand.

3) Show narration then dialogue.
Ex. He flipped open the phone. “Morris. Yeah, she’s right here. Don’t worry. I won’t let her leave my sight.”

4) Don’t show narration, dialogue, narration because the dialogue is buried between the two pieces of narration, which explains why it’s called buried dialogue.

5) An exception is when the narration following the dialogue is a dialogue tag or narration explaining the tone of voice used. But even that should be used sparingly.

Ex.1 She picked up the last toy and tossed it in the box. “If I have to clean up after Sissy one more time, I’m going to scream,” she said slowly, emphasizing every word.

Ex.2 She lifted a tissue to her nose and blew. “He’s gone.” Her voice quivered almost as much as her hand.

Example 2 would be stronger like this:

She lifted a tissue to her nose and blew.
“He’s gone.” Her voice quivered almost as much as her hand.

How do you eliminate buried dialogue? Sometimes that means moving things around so the dialogue is at the front or end of the narration. Sometimes you'll have to delete the narration, or you can add narration about someone else, which gives you an excuse to change lines. Other times, a line change is all that's needed to either give you a "narration plus dialogue" or "dialogue plus narration" effect. Look back at last Wednesday’s post to see examples of how to fix buried dialogue.

Like I mentioned before, this isn’t a rule. It’s more like a trick to help keep your story’s pace flowing well. If you look through some of the more recently published novels, you’ll see authors rarely bury their dialogue. There has to be a reason for that, right?

Okay, fess up. Have you buried your dialogue?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Fun Friday? Nope.

2011-10-07T09:03:00.000-05:00

As much as I love our Fun Friday puzzles, I have to take a break from them for a little while. My schedule is really busy and something has to go. Hopefully, I’ll be able to bring them back soon. I’ll continue to post writing related material on Mondays and Wednesdays. See you then.

Have a great weekend!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Dig Out That Buried Dialogue

2011-10-05T10:37:00.000-05:00

Buried or hidden dialogue, both terms mean the same thing, but what is that exactly? While buried dialogue isn’t a technical term nor is there any rule that says you can’t use it, editors often suggest you eliminate as much of it as possible. There are two basic reasons behind this.

1) Buried dialogue slows the pace.
2) Dialogue can lose its oomph when squished between two narratives.

Let’s look at some examples, so you can see what I mean.

Example 1:

With Buried Dialogue:

Toni opened the door. “What are you doing here?” She crossed her arms, determined to show him she meant business. “I told you to stay away.” Why was he there anyway? Didn’t he know what was good for him?

Without Buried Dialogue:

Toni opened the door.
“What are you doing here?” She crossed her arms, determined to show him she meant business. “I told you to stay away.”
Why was he there anyway? Didn’t he know what was good for him?

Example 2:

With Buried Dialogue:

Marnie wrapped a ringlet of her hair around her finger. Maybe she could convince him yet. “Surely, there must be something I could help you with.” She batted her eyelashes and puckered her lips. Swaying her hips, she circled around him. If there was one thing she knew about men, they couldn’t resist a good tease.

Without Buried Dialogue 1:

Marnie wrapped a ringlet of her hair around her finger. Maybe she could convince him yet. “Surely, there must be something I could help you with.”
She batted her eyelashes and puckered her lips. Swaying her hips, she circled around him. If there was one thing she knew about men, they couldn’t resist a good tease.

Without Buried Dialogue 2:

Marnie wrapped a ringlet of her hair around her finger. Maybe she could convince him yet.
“Surely, there must be something I could help you with.” She batted her eyelashes and puckered her lips. Swaying her hips, she circled around him. If there was one thing she knew about men, they couldn’t resist a good tease.

Notice the difference between the “with” and “without” buried dialogue examples. The dialogue is lost in the narration and doesn’t have the effect it could have on its own.

Come back next Monday for the unofficial rules in regards to buried dialogue.

Do you ever use buried dialogue?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Style Checklist for Writers

2011-10-03T09:19:00.003-05:00

For those of you who are in the editing stages of your story, you might want to take a peek at this style checklist.

1. Check your sentences. Do they begin with the words “there” or “it”? Sometimes it’s necessary to use “there” or “it”, but replacing these words with something more specific makes for stronger writing.

2. Is your writing tight? Or do you go on and on and on like a lonely, old lady? Are you double-talking? For example, as a sample of this type of writing, you’d need to think or ponder what it would be like to express and communicate your thoughts and ideas with abundant or surplus, maybe even redundant, repetitions. Are you scratching your head right now? That’s exactly how your readers would feel if you wrote this way.

3. Are you repeating what you've already told or shown your readers? For example, Riley thinks about asking Julie on a date and plans on giving her a rose. Then, he runs into Gary and tells him what he’s going to do. When Riley finally sees Julie, he gives her a rose and asks her out. The reader is disappointed because this is the third time she’s read this. The writer had two choices. He could’ve shown Riley’s angst over his first time asking a girl out, and when he finally sees her, his nerves melt away. This isn’t considered repetition because something different occurs. Or the writer could’ve skipped the first part, where Riley agonizes about asking her out. Instead, Riley could go right up to Julie and then his nerves could kick in. This way, the writer is still showing the same emotions, but this is more immediate.

4. Are you using clichés? While it’s okay to use clichés in dialogue (sparingly), you want to avoid using them in narration. Try to find a fresher way of saying the same thing.

5. Are you trying to be clever by using words that are above your readers’ vocabulary level? This doesn’t make you look smart. Well, maybe it does, but many readers are turned off by authors who “show off.” If they have to check words in the dictionary just to understand your story, they’ll probably pick up an easier read—one they can lose themselves in.

6. Is the text fluent, varied in rhythm, and the right tone for your genre?

7. Does every conversation advance the story and reveal something new about the plot or characters? If not, why is it there? Eliminate as much fluff as possible to tighten your story. Dialogue is one area where writers often become long-winded.

8. Would your character really speak that way? Would anyone? Keep the dialogue real but compelling. While we might talk about the weather in real life, we don’t want to read about people having small talk. You also want to ensure your character stays in character. For example, Grandma said, “Hey, peeps. I’ll hang with y’all in a sec. Just chill.” Would that fit your story and your genre? Would readers believe this?

9. Do you replace “said” with other verbs like “whispered, muttered, screamed, yelled, mumbled, giggled, spat, etc…? For some reason, writers are afraid to use “said.” Learn to love this verb because it blends in with the story. That doesn’t mean you need to write “Peter said”, “Jerry said”, “Molly said” after they’ve spoken. Try to mix things up a little by using action tags, too.

10. Watch for passive writing. For example, “The story was read by the little boy” is passive. “The little boy read the story” is active. Hint: Watch for “by.” That can be an indication that your sentence is passive.

There are many things you should look at when editing. Don’t limit yourself to this list. Use the checklist as a cheat sheet and go from there.

Which one of these “rules” have you broken? Which is the hardest to follow? Are any of these new to you?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Fun Friday

2011-09-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

Here's your puzzle for the week. The reason I picked this puzzle is because it reminded of me of my little adventure last weekend. We took the twins ATVing through the woods and stopped at a pond to look for snail shells. I spotted a baby toad hopping amongst the fallen leaves. He blended in well because of his brown and orange coloring. The girls saw me watching the toad and ran over to catch him. I was afraid they'd accidentally squish him, so I grabbed the little guy. Man, was he feisty. Escaping was the only thing on his mind. Luckily, toads are harmless. Although, I have to admit, I've never actually held one before.

When I was a kid, we used to go into ditches and catch frogs' eggs, minnows, and snails. One year, I brought my collection home and put them in an aquarium. It was fun to watch the eggs hatch into tadpoles and then transition into frogs. Of course, at that point, as much as my mom had been a trooper up until then, the frogs had to go. She didn't want to have any little green dudes hopping around our living room floor. I wouldn't have minded one bit. So, we drove to the nearest river and let the frogs go. Then, whenever we passed that place, my dad would imitate croaking sounds as a tribute. Maybe I'll do the same for my kids one day.

I swear I'm getting worse instead of better with these darn things. My time was 4:48. What was yours?

What are your plans for the weekend? We haven't decided yet. It'll depend how much work I still have on my plate by the end of today. Have a good one!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

How Does Your Villain Grow?

2011-09-28T10:28:00.002-05:00

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary,
How Does Your Villain Grow?
With a demented mind and evil heart
And motivation that readers know.

Okay, so that’s a cheesy poem, but it gets my point across. When creating a villain, keep in mind he can’t just be evil for the sake of being evil. Too cliché. Showing that he’s a psychopath and can’t control his urges is overdone. Readers want more from the villain. They don’t necessarily have to sympathize with him, but they need to understand what makes him do the nasty things he does. Motivation. This doesn’t mean you should dump the villain’s motivation at the beginning of the story, but you should hint at it along the way.

A well-written villain is a character readers love to hate. They want to see the hero and/or heroine beat him. They don’t want a two-dimensional character who kills just to kill or to get an emotional high from slaughtering innocent people. If you’ve ever watched the TV series Criminal Minds, you’ll have an idea of how to portray your villain three-dimensionally. The FBI profilers on this show often talk about triggers. Something happened in the villain’s life that caused him to lose sight of reality and begin his evil path. What prompted the villain to kill isn’t something that would make a normal person become a murderer. There’s still something about the villain that made him snap when others would have possibly struggled but not gone over the edge. It’s up to you to create the background or character history that would grow a villain. His motivation should be strong, clear, and believable, but warped.

Let’s face it. There are a lot of sick puppies in the real world who do bad things that we don’t understand. However, in fiction, readers expect more from the villain that a real life psychopath. This isn’t any different than what the reader expects from the hero or heroine. They don’t want to read about someone who just walks through life. They want to see character goals, motivations, conflicts, and resolution. The villain, just like the other main characters in the story, should have his own GMCs. He just won’t be able to resolve his conflict. But ensuring all major characters in your story have believable goals, motivations, and conflicts means they should feel real to the reader. If the reader cheers for the hero/heroine and hates the villain, you’ve done your job.

Who are some of your favorite villains and why?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Breaking the Rules Can Cost You

2011-09-26T10:56:00.000-05:00

All you rule-breakers out there, listen up. You’ve probably heard it’s okay to break the rules of writing as long as you understand you’re breaking them. That can be true. However, too many writers who are attempting to do this haven’t convinced me they actually know what they’re doing. For one thing, this exception to the rule is to be used sparingly. It doesn’t mean you can continue to break the same rule over and over again in your book. Break it only when necessary. Otherwise, how is the reader supposed to know you’re consciously making this mistake?

Ask yourself a few questions. Why do you feel it’s necessary to ignore the rule? Are you acting like a rebel? Do you not quite understand the rule and because of that are deciding to break it? Is your story stronger when you ignore the rule or when you follow it, and why?

“What difference does it make? I’m the writer. I should be able to create my story the way I want to write it.” That’s fine if you’re okay with possibly not selling that story. If you want to publish through a traditional publisher, you should consider editors’ expectations because breaking the rules can cost you. How you handle rules in this industry will affect your credibility as a writer. If not done correctly or for the right reasons, rule breaking will diminish the reader’s trust in your ability to tell a story. And the last thing you want is to have an agent or editor believe you’re an amateur.

“But bestselling authors break rules all the time and they’re making beaucoup bucks.” This is true. You can ignore all the rules you want when you’re a bestselling author. However, in order to get to that position, you need to prove yourself and your ability. You have to create a readership based on your skills, not your name. After that, what you do is between you and your publisher (unless you’re self-publishing.)

What kind of rules have you broken? Did you do this purposely? What rules have published authors ignored? Does it bother you to read a book where the author has broken rules you try so hard to follow?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Fun Friday

2011-09-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

"Wanna share?" I love elephants, and most animals, so I couldn't resist this puzzle. Plus, it reminds me about something very important in the writing world. Sharing. By this I don't mean sharing your manuscript, although, it's not a bad idea to have a critique group or partner. I'm talking about sharing our experiences with each other. We all need to be reminded that while we might be pursuing a lonely, introverted career, we're not alone. There are so many writers in this blogging community. All you have to do is connect with them. Some will have gone through the pains you're feeling now, so hearing about their journey might help you put things into perspective. Others might be going through something you've experienced, so sharing your story with them might help encourage them to continue. We're all in this together.

In any case, here's your puzzle for the day. My time was 3:40. What was yours?

What are you doing this weekend? I think this is going to be the last nice weekend we have until spring, so we're going to take the twins to the park and fly kites. Have a good one!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Emotions: Show, Don't Tell

2011-09-21T10:04:00.000-05:00

We’ve all heard about the show, don’t tell rule in writing, but have you ever considered what this means when talking about your characters’ emotions? Portraying emotions in your story is essential in order to engage the reader. However, that doesn’t mean the task is easy.

The key to connecting the reader with your story is understanding how to show your characters’ emotions without telling what they’re experiencing. Here are a few examples of how writers tell readers about their characters’ emotions.

-Jacob felt a rush of anxiety as he approached her, ring box in his pocket.
-Linda was so mad at him.
-Monica felt warm and secure in his arms.
-Tommy was excited to see his mom.

Let’s change these examples and show the reader how these characters feel. Notice this sometimes means using more than one sentence to convey the same message. AND THAT’S OKAY.

-Jacob wiped the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He could do this. He’d practiced the proposal all morning. He was ready. Now, if only his heart could calm to a regular pace, maybe he could relax a bit. He slipped his hand in his pocket. The ring box was still there. Ready and waiting. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on her door.

-Linda’s face burned. How could he do this to her? She grabbed a nearby glass and threw it at her soon-to-be ex-fiance and his lover.

-Monica slid into Preston’s arms and snuggled her head into his nook. A sigh escaped her as his body warmed hers. She was finally home.

-Tommy rushed through the door, dropped his backpack at the entrance, and jumped into his mommy’s arms. His heart was full. He plastered kisses all over her face and promised to never leave her again.

Showing what your characters are feeling allows the reader to experience everything through the characters. Readers will root for the hero and hope the villain gets what he deserves. They’ll feel good when the hero and heroine finally make love. They’ll feel relieved when the missing boy is found. Basically, readers want to get lost in the story, but they want to feel like they’re a part of it, too. In case you haven’t caught on… Readers want to FEEL something when they read.

You’re a reader, too, right? Do you want to feel what the characters are feeling? Or would you rather be told? Can you think of any examples of telling how a character feels? Could you share examples of how a character shows how she feels?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Free Edit by Professional Editor

2011-09-19T09:57:00.001-05:00

Do you want to have your first 500 words of your novel-length manuscript edited by a professional editor? For FREE? Here’s your chance. All you have to do is sign up for the Muse Online Writers Conference and register for my class, How to Hook an Editor in 500 Words or Less. The conference is free and so are all the classes. Don’t miss out.

Dates to Remember:

September 25 – last day to register for the Muse Online Writers Conference
October 2 – last day to send me your sample before classes begin

Class Details:

"You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Anyone who’s been rejected by an editor can tell you this is true. To make it past the slush pile, you need to be able to hook your reader from the very first pages.

How to Hook an Editor in 500 Words or Less will teach you to avoid common mistakes authors make in the first pages of their novels. You'll learn how to edit your work to create a compelling hook, and ensure an editor will be clamoring for more.

In this workshop, we'll be looking at real examples of participants' first pages. If you would like to have your hook critiqued by a professional editor, please send the first five hundred words of your manuscript to labelle@labelleseditorialservices.com with “Muse Sample Edit” in the subject line. Save the pages as a Microsoft Word document or as a Rich Text Format (RTF), and include the genre and title. Twenty submissions will be chosen at random and used as examples during the workshop.

You have until October 2 to send me your sample, so get to work!

About the Instructor: Lynnette Labelle is a freelance copyeditor and proofreader with over ten years of experience. She's the owner of Labelle's Writing on the Wall, an editing and coaching service for writers.

Lynnette specializes in developmental copyediting, including line editing, for romance (all subgenres except historical), mystery, thriller, suspense, YA (young adult), middle grade, and children’s fiction. She proofreads non-fiction and all adult fiction genres, and also helps writers create hooky query letters and strong synopses. Her editorial services assist writers, both beginners and published professionals, perfect their craft and polish their manuscripts so they can take their careers to the next level.

For more information on Labelle’s Writing on the Wall’s editorial services, visit www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Fun Friday

2011-09-16T09:13:00.000-05:00

Are the leaves changing color out where you live? They are here. Of course, our below freezing temperatures haven't helped. Brrr...

Here's the puzzle of the day. Beautiful, isn't it? Either I really need another cup of coffee or this is harder than usual. My time was 3:59. What was yours?

What are your plans for the weekend? I'm teaching a class right now, so I'll be busy working on that and catching up on projects for my clients. I know. I really don't lead a very exciting life. What about you?

Have a great weekend!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Mini Lesson on Exclamation Points and Question Marks

2011-09-14T10:27:00.000-05:00

I caution everyone to be careful when using exclamation points. Agents and editors frown on them. In fact, there’s one industry professional who claims she will reject your manuscript if you have more than a handful of exclamation points in your whole novel. That’s a little extreme, but I’d still keep your use of these babies to a minimum. The point is if you’ve set up the scene properly and are using realistic dialogue, readers should be able to tell when a person is yelling or if they’re mad. You don’t have to TELL them by using an exclamation point.

Strangely enough, the opposite is true with question marks. Agents and editors prefer you use them and avoid writing “he asked” every time a question is posed. But, in doing so, don’t substitute “he asked” with “he said.” Clearly, if he asked a question, he asked it, he didn’t say it.

Do: “What are you talking about?” Amy tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. (This avoids using Amy asked, but we know she’s asking a question.)

Do: “What are you talking about?” Bill asked. (Here “asked” may have been used because the scene was set up enough beforehand and it would only interrupt the flow if the author added an action tag. However, we need to know who asked, so the author had to show us.)

Do: Use other ways to show who’s asking the question. For example, you could put the emphasis on the other speaker.

Jill slid her finger across her smart phone’s glass, going from one screen to the next, barely acknowledging Lisa’s presence.

“Hello? Are you listening to me?”

“Sorry. I was distracted. Thinking about work again.” Jill turned her phone off and slipped it into her purse. “Okay, now you have my undivided attention.”

Since we know Jill and Lisa are talking, it’s obvious who asked the question here without having to be TOLD it’s Lisa.

Do: Lori’s face grew redder and redder. Her fists were in tight, little balls. “You’re a real jerk, Ben. I wish I’d never met you.”

Don’t: “You’re a real jerk, Ben! I wish I’d never met you!” (As you saw in the above example, you don’t need to use exclamation points here to show how angry Lori is.)

Don’t: “What are you talking about?” Jill said. (This contradicts the question mark.)

How often do you use these punctuation marks? Do you follow these rules or do you have others you follow?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

Wrong Word Usage - Part 4

2011-09-12T10:17:00.000-05:00

It’s been a while since we’ve looked at some mistakes I see in manuscripts. As a freelance editor, I anticipate these types of errors. However, an agent or publisher expects the writer to have a polished manuscript, so it’s best to learn what mistakes to avoid. Today, we’re going to study: faze/phase, fearful/fearsome, flair/flare, fowl/foul, and formally/formerly. Do you know how to use these words correctly? Let’s see…

Faze/Phase: “Faze” means to disturb the composure of. I love the example used in the online version of Merriam-Webster. “You’ll never succeed as a writer if you let a little bit of criticism faze you.” “Phase” means to adjust so as to be in a synchronized condition, or to introduce in stages. For example, someone may go through a phase where they only eat cheese pizzas. Or, a company might decide to phase out the older model and replace it with a new one.

Fearful/Fearsome: To be “fearful” is to be scared. To be “fearsome” is to cause fear in others.

Flair/Flare: “Flair” is a talent or skill. She has a flair for style. “Flare”, the noun, is a fire or light used to signal or attract attention. “Flare”, the verb, means to burn with an unsteady flame, to become suddenly excited or angry like when a temper flares, or to spread outward like the bottoms of certain jeans.

Fowl/Foul: A chicken is a fowl, as are all birds. “Foul”, the adjective, is offensive to the senses like a foul odor. Or it can be displeasing in other ways like foul language. “Foul”, the noun, is an infringement of the rules in a game or sport like a foul ball.

Formally/Formerly: If something is done in a formal matter, it’s done “formally.” If someone previously behaved differently, they did so “formerly” or at a previous time.

Which words on this list have you struggled with or misused?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Fun Friday

2011-09-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, I don't have a puzzle for you today. I'm working on someone else's laptop and for some reason I can't access that site. Bummer.

Well, that doesn't mean you can't tell me what you're up to this weekend? Are you tired of hearing that I'm working? Have a good one!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Rookie Mistakes to Avoid When Submitting to Agents

2011-09-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

In life we all make mistakes, but with mistakes come consequences. If you make a rookie mistake when submitting to an agent, you may have blown your chances with her. What better way to avoid this situation than to review a list of rookie mistakes and make sure you don’t make any of them.

Mistake #1: Pitch a novel before you’ve finished it. Agents are busy people. If they get excited about your query and ask for more, they don’t want to hear, “Oh, can you wait six months? Maybe a year? I’ve only written the first fifty pages.” By the time you get around to finishing the book, the agent may no longer be at the agency. Or she may not be accepting queries. Or the market may have changed and what she once loved about your book is no longer unique. Pitching to an agent before the novel is complete is a big no-no. Some agents will remember you after this and because they don’t think you’re professional, won’t take a second look at your book once it’s complete.

Mistake #2: Query multiple agents at one agency AT THE SAME TIME. This should be obvious, but it isn’t. Agent Jane doesn’t want to get excited about a book only to discover Agent Jill in the office has just offered representation to that same author. Or worse, neither one of them have contacted the writer and now there’s competition between two agents in the office. Some agencies will go as far as to say once you’ve queried one of their agents, you shouldn’t submit to any of the others. The reason behind this is their agency is run as a team. When Jane gets a query that she doesn’t think is a good fit for her, she’ll consider the other agents on her team and, if she believes there’s a fit with one of them, she’ll forward the query to her teammate. If she hasn’t done this, it’s because she doesn’t feel the book is a good fit for anyone in the agency. Not all agencies work this way. Read their website to discover their policies.

Mistake #3: Pitch multiple books in one query. I know it’s exciting if you have more than one book ready for submission or if you have a series planned out and want the agent to know all the details. Please take a deep breath and refrain from sending more than one idea per query. The agent expects all the information including the blurb and your bio to fit on one page. How can you possibly describe more than one book in that small amount of space and still do both projects justice? Here’s the trick. Hook the agent with one book and when you’re discussing representation, you can talk about the other books. Or, if she rejects the first book, send her a query for the next book, unless that’s the second book in a continuing series.

Mistake #4: Send exclusive queries. Do you realize how long it’ll take you to get published if you do this? There’s no reason to send exclusive queries to anyone. Agents know when you’re querying, you’re sending queries out to many agents. However, if the agent asks for your full and wants an exclusive, she’s not being unreasonable. She realizes it’s going to take quite a bit of time to read the manuscript and doesn’t want to waste her time if someone else, who might be a faster reader or have more time to read, could possibly snatch the prize from under her nose. How much time you allow her to have this exclusivity is up to you.

Mistake #5: Call an agent. Never call an agent unless you have permission to do so, like you’re her client or she’s left you a message. You’re wasting your time otherwise because the receptionist won’t put the call through. However, she may take note of your name and if you’re persistent, could put you on a “black list.”

Mistake #6: Email an agent to ask her questions that could be answered if you had read her submissions page on her website. It’s your responsibility to find out what she’s looking for or whether or not she’s accepting submissions. Do your homework or you’ll look unprofessional.

Basically, this list all boils down to the fact that you need to understand the industry before you submit to agents. Rushing to send out queries before doing your homework could bite you in the butt.

What other mistakes can you add to this list?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Long Weekend

2011-09-01T17:15:00.000-05:00

Have a great weekend everyone! I won't be posting anything until Wednesday. What are you doing for the weekend? We're going shopping for school supplies. Fun! LOL I used to be a teacher and actually enjoy going through aisles and aisles of pencils, pens, papers, and highlighters. Is that odd?

Have a good one!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Scene Writing Tips - Part 2

2011-08-31T10:26:00.000-05:00

The other day, we talked about tips for writing stronger scenes. Here are some more goodies to add to your list.

-Scenes are about conflict. One way to show conflict is to have an exchange of power where one character wants something the other one has. The way she tries to obtain this want is instant conflict. She might need to steal, charm, or persuade to achieve her goal.

-Tension feeds tension. Characters become more and more desperate with no options or no means of escape. Everything escalates and the stakes are raised.

-Reaction is key. You can’t have an intense, emotional scene or an action-packed scene without slowing the pace in the following scene to allow your characters to react appropriately. If you don’t take the time do to this, your reader won’t be able to connect properly with the characters. Remember, we’re experiencing everything through the eyes of the POV character and we expect them to react after something is thrown at them.

-Toward the end of the novel, it’s time to start wrapping up loose ends, not time to introduce new developments or complications. This waters down the resolution of the climax.

-Don’t forget to reveal secrets that the reader didn’t foresee. This can be done by tipping the reader off through actions or dialogue that one character does while trying to keep the secret, or by showing the other character discover the secret.

-Don’t add a sex scene just so your characters can have sex and you can meet the expected quota on how many sex scenes you should have in your story. All scenes need a reason to be there and a quota doesn’t count as a reason. Make sure the sex scene develops the characters, changes the relationship between the couple, and/or reveals something about the characters.

-Watch your action scenes. Make them as realistic as possible. Sometimes that means you have to act them out with someone in real life to see if it’s really feasible for him to hit her as she’s jumping in the air. Just make sure you don’t actually hurt your volunteer.

-If a major character dies, don’t describe this in one paragraph and move on. This requires a prolonged scene with plenty of reaction to the death. Notice we’re talking about a single scene. Going on and on about someone’s death in every scene afterwards has to be done carefully or the character will seem weak and blubbery. While this is a horrible situation to overcome, the character must learn to deal with her grieve. Don’t forget she needs to grow. Not recovering from someone’s death isn’t showing growth.

Keeping these tips in mind when you’re writing or editing should help you create strong scenes.

Which tips have you used in the past? Which ones will you use now?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

The FREE Muse Online Writers Conference Is BAAACK!!!

2011-08-29T13:23:00.004-05:00

It’s that time again. Registration is open for the FREE Muse Online Writers Conference. This is only offered once a year, and once registration closes September 25, it won’t re-open again until next year.

What is the Muse Online Writers Conference? It’s a free online conference for writers. There are workshops, chats, and even pitch appointments. To register, go here.

This year, I’m participating as an instructor. I’m teaching a course called How to Hook an Editor in 500 Words or Less. Check it out:

"You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Anyone who’s been rejected by an editor can tell you this is true. To make it past the slush pile, you need to be able to hook your reader from the very first pages.

How to Hook an Editor in 500 Words or Less will teach you to avoid common mistakes authors make in the first pages of their novels. You'll learn how to edit your work to create a compelling hook, and ensure an editor will be clamoring for more.

In this workshop, we'll be looking at real examples of participants' first pages. If you would like to have your hook critiqued by a professional editor, please send the first five hundred words of your manuscript to labelle@labelleseditorialservices.com with “Muse Sample Edit” in the subject line. Save the pages as a Microsoft Word document or as a Rich Text Format (RTF), and include the genre and title. Twenty submissions will be chosen at random and used as examples during the workshop.

You have until September 25 to send me your sample, so get to work!

About the Instructor: Lynnette Labelle is a freelance copyeditor and proofreader with over a decade of experience. She's the owner of Labelle's Writing on the Wall, an editing and coaching service for writers.

Lynnette specializes in developmental copyediting, including line editing, for romance, YA (young adult), middle grade, and children’s fiction. She proofreads non-fiction and all adult fiction genres, and also helps writers create hooky query letters and strong synopses. Her editorial services assist writers, both beginners and published professionals, perfect their craft and polish their manuscripts so they can take their careers to the next level.

For more information on Labelle’s Writing on the Wall’s editorial services, visit www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Make sure you register for this conference as soon as possible. The deadline is right around the corner.

Fun Friday

2011-08-26T10:39:00.000-05:00

Isn't this a beautiful picture? Don't you wish you were there? I do. Oh, well. I'll have to settle with the puzzle instead. My time was 3:19. What was yours?

What are you doing this weekend? Looks like we're ready to plant grass seed. Not exactly fun, but it needs to be done. Have a good one!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Scene Writing Tips - Part 1

2011-08-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

Many writers struggle when writing or editing scenes. What should be included? What makes a good scene? Here’s a list to help you write stronger scenes.

-Make sure your scenes vary in length and intensity. Write some shorter, faster paced scenes and others that are longer and more complicated.

-The best scenes hint that there’s more to come, usually ending with a hook.

-Don’t end the scene with your character going to bed. This doesn’t give the reader a reason to open the book any time soon. End with an unanswered question or some sort of turmoil, and the reader will have to come back to see what happens next.

-If you write a one-person scene, make sure whatever that character says, does, reveals, or discovers affects another character.

-Great scenes create reversals. A character who enters the scene feeling happy will leave feeling sad or angry. A character who is anticipating a romantic evening with his date will feel disappointed at the end of the scene.

-If you can cut a scene without changing the outcome of the story, conflict, or character growth, delete it.

-While some stories force you to continue in the same setting throughout the novel, most plot points can take place in other settings. Changing the locations refreshes the story.

-Some writers change chapters with each new scene, but that’s not necessary. However, if you decide to group scenes together to form a chapter, it’s best to connect them so they don’t appear to be a bunch of scenes thrown together.

-To avoid extra long scenes, add natural breaks by having a character enter, the scene character arrive some place different, the phone ring, or the doorbell chime.

-Mix up the scenes by adding characters. Don’t stick to two-character scenes throughout the novel or the story will lack depth.

Come back next Wednesday for part two of this list. Which of these tips have you used? Which is your favorite tip?

There’s still time to sign up for the class Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In. There are only six spots left, so don’t delay. For more information on the class, visit http://labelleseditorialservices.com/classes/

Wrong Word Usage - Part 3

2011-08-22T10:50:00.000-05:00

Today is the third in a series of lessons on correct word usage. I’ll post one lesson a week. The words we’re going to look at today are: duck tape/duct tape, dew/do/doo/due, drug/dragged, duel/dual, and doubt that/doubt whether/doubt it. Do you know how to correctly use these words? Let’s see…

Duck Tape/Duct Tape: I’ve often wondered why some people use the term “duck tape” when describing “duct tape” and now I know why. During World War II, Johnson & Johnson developed a green adhesive tape to waterproof ammunition cases called “duck tape.” A similar tape, only silver, called “duct tape” was often used when connecting ventilation and other ducts in buildings and is now sold in stores for multiple uses. However, the correct term is “duct tape.”

Dew/Do/Doo/Due: “Dew” is moisture on the grass in the morning. “Doo” on the grass means a dog left you a present. However, the most common confusion with all the “dos” is when people use “do” for “due” (owing) in expressions like “credit is due,” “due to circumstances beyond our control,” and “the bill is due.” To make matters more complicated, “do”, normally a verb, can be a noun meaning “party,” “gig,” “hairstyle,” and used in the phrase “dos and don’ts.” Some people chose to add an apostrophe in that last phrase, but it means having two apostrophes awkwardly close together “don’t’s,” so I don’t recommend this.

Drug/Dragged: “Dragged” is the past tense of “drag.”

Duel/Dual: “Duel” is a dispute or fight. “Dual” means two things that are together, or double as in “dual purpose,” or “dual layers.”

Doubt That/Doubt Whether/Doubt If: If you doubt something is true, use “doubt that.” “I doubt that Mary really lost your phone number.” To express uncertainty, use “doubt whether.” “I doubt whether we’ll go swimming today. It seems like it’s going to rain all day.” You can substitute “doubt whether” with “doubt if”, but the latter is considered more casual.

Have you had any problems using the above words?

In case you didn’t get the memo, my class Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In is almost full. We only have EIGHT spots left. For more information, click here: http://labelleseditorialservices.com/classes/

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Fun Friday

2011-08-19T10:28:00.000-05:00

The past week, my family has enjoyed watching our butterflies "hatch." While we missed all five of them actually coming out of their chrysalides, the whole experience was amazing. Of course, when I saw this puzzle, I had to pick it. My time was 3:50. What was yours?

What are your plans for the weekend? We're going to finish leveling the backyard on our vacant lot so we can plant grass seed in the next week or so. We're going to build in the spring and wanted to have this out of the way. What about you?

Have a good one!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Zone Out Sections - Keep Out!

2011-08-17T10:22:00.000-05:00

Do you have “zone out” sections in your manuscript? Don’t know what they are? Imagine this. You’re on the phone with your best friend and she’s doing most of the talking. She’s going on and on and on. At some point, as much as you love her, you realize you haven’t heard anything she’s said in the last few minutes. You “zoned out.” The same thing can happen to a reader when she’s reading your book. All of a sudden, she “zones out.” Why does this happen and how can you avoid it?

There are usually two reasons a reader will experience a “zone out.” The writer might go into too much detail. This causes the reader to skim until she encounters something more interesting like action or dialogue. Or she actually reads every word without absorbing a thing because she daydreams until something in the story catches her eye. She doesn’t even realize she’s doing this until after she comes out of the coma and can’t remember what she’s read.

The other reason readers “zone out” is because the writer hasn’t shown us the scene. Instead, she’s told us about it. As a result, the reader doesn’t experience the emotions the character feels, and a story without emotion is boring. Readers need to become a part of the story and have a sense that they’re right in the scene along with all the characters. In order for them to have this experience, they need to feel that slap across the face. Rather than the author simply writing Jenny slapped Marie across the face, she needs to show this. She needs the reader to hear the whack of the palm on her cheek, feel the sting of skin on skin, and taste the metallic flavor of blood because the inside of Marie’s cheek tore against her braces.

While it’s important to situate the reader and have details so she can have an image of the scene in her mind, this shouldn’t be dumped into one lump. Setting details should be woven into the scene in an inconspicuous way. Always keep the scene moving. If you stop to add details, you risk losing the reader.

Make sure to remember the five senses. That doesn’t mean you need to use all five of them in every scene. That would cause a sensory overload. However, you should try to show as much of what the character experiences as possible without TELLING.

Have you experienced a “zone out” when reading? What about when writing?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Wrong Word Usage - Part 2

2011-08-15T11:15:00.000-05:00

Today is the second in a series of lessons on correct word usage. I’ll post one lesson a week. The words we’re going to look at today are: farther/further, beside/besides, breach/breech, coma/comma, and bare/bear. Do you know how to correctly use these words? Let’s see…

Farther/Further: While some people are perfectly fine with these two words used interchangeably, others don’t agree. The Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition) uses the traditional distinction in that “farther” denotes a physical distance and “further” is used for a figurative distance. “She drove farther and farther away.” “Look no further.”

Beside/Besides: “Besides” means “in addition to.” “Besides the entire peach pie that was cooling on the table, Jerry’s dog ate his homework, too.” “Beside” means “next to.” “I sat beside Tommy in English class today.”

Breach/Breech: “Breach” means something broken off or open. For example, “to breach a contract is to break a contract” or “to breach a damn is to break through the damn.” Here’s a trick to remembering which “breach/breech” to use. If you can substitute the “ch” for a “k” and it spells “break”, then you know it means “to break something.” “Breech” refers to a bum. For example, “a breech birth means the baby is coming out bum or feet first instead of head first.”

Coma/Comma: “Coma” means someone is in a long-term unconscious state. “Comma” is a punctuation mark.

Bare/Bear: Most people know that “bear” is the furry creature you’d prefer to admire from afar. However, there is another use for “bear”. “Mothers bear children.” “Students bear the responsibility of earning good grades.” In other words, “bear” can mean “carry.” “Bear” can also mean “support the weight of”, “to have as a characteristic”, and “to allow.” “Bare” means “naked.” So, when someone asks you to bear with them, they’re asking you to have patience, but if someone wants you to bare with them, they’re asking you to undress.

As you can see using words incorrectly can get you into trouble, especially if you mix up “bare” and “bear”. Have any of these given you grief in the past?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Fun Friday

2011-08-12T09:08:00.000-05:00

I'm an animal lover. I can't help it. When I saw this puzzle, I had to pick it. My time was 4:19, but that's not so bad considering I'm still recovering from the migraine I had last night. What was your time?

What are your plans for the weekend? I'm going to a wedding. Other than that, we plan on watching our butterflies "hatch". So far, we have two out of five. Can't wait to see them fly. Have a great weekend!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Scene or Summary - How to Decide

2011-08-10T10:13:00.001-05:00

Many writers need to learn how to determine when to write a scene or summary. A scene may consist of dialogue, action tags, action/reaction, gestures, mannerisms, exposition, setting details, and character thoughts. A summary is simply a recap of something that has happened. The problem is writers often use a summary when they should use a scene and vice versa. But, how do you know when to write a scene?

Here’s a list of times you should use a scene:
-inciting incident
-flashbacks
-fights
-surprises, twists, and complications that turn the protagonist’s journey upside down
-seductions
-love scenes, especially the first time they kiss, or have sex, and any time there’s some sort of change as a result of the encounter
-crimes (committing a crime or uncovering a crime)
-any kind of struggle (physical, moral, emotional)
-turning points
-climaxes
-answers to the story question
-chases
-deceptions
-misconceptions and misunderstandings
-revenge
-subplot resolutions
-black moment

You shouldn’t use a scene to show:

- mundane life events like going to the bathroom, brushing teeth, getting dressed, checking in at an airport, buying a soda, etc…
- how the character got from point A to point B—Sometimes, you need to let the reader assume the character must’ve jumped in a cab, gotten a ride to the station, gotten out of the cab, paid the driver, took his luggage, walked to the entrance, opened the door, entered the building, passed a crowd of people, got in line for a ticket, etc… Instead of writing all of this, simply end the scene and open the new scene wherever he needs to be and whenever the action/reaction is about to take place.

Have you struggled with deciding when to write a scene or a summary? Is it harder to decide when to use a scene or a summary?

For those who missed the post, my class Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In will start in September. Registration is open and the class is filling up. For more information on the class go to: http://labelleseditorialservices.com/classes/

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Wrong Word Usage Part 1

2011-08-08T13:44:00.000-05:00

Today is the first in a series of lessons on correct word usage. I’ll post one lesson a week. The words we’re going to look at today are: backward/backwards, awhile/a while, ahold/hold, allowed/aloud, and altogether/all together. Do you know how to correctly use these words? Let’s see…

Backward/Backwards: If used as an adverb, both will work. For example, “He put his hat on backward.” Or, “He put his hat on backwards.” If you’re using the word as an adjective, the only correct usage is “backward.” For example, “She did a jump and a backward turn to complete the move.” When in doubt, use “backward.”

Awhile/A While: The adverb “awhile” means “for a time.” For example, “Stay awhile.” When “while” is the object of a prepositional phrase, “while” must be separated from “a”. For example, “Can I borrow your car for a while?” Here’s a trick. Remove the preposition from that sentence and you can use “awhile.” “Can I borrow your car awhile?”

Ahold/Hold: So many people say, “I’ll try to get ahold of him later.” However, that’s incorrect. Technically, the only correct way of saying this is, “I’ll try to get hold of him later.” Sounds strange, doesn’t it?

Allowed/Aloud: When you were in school, you may have been “allowed” to read “aloud.” “Allowed” means “permitted”, while “aloud” means “out loud”.

Altogether/All Together: The adverb “altogether” means “completely” or “entirely.” For example, “It stopped raining altogether.” “All together” means “in a group.” For example, “The kids were placed all together at the children’s table.”

How did you do? Are there any words that trip you up? I have to admit “ahold/hold” is one I have to watch. When you learn something wrong, it’s hard to correct. I find being aware of the mistake will at least make you search it out and correct it, even if you wrote it wrong in your draft.

For those of you who missed the post, I’m teaching the class Hook, Line, and Sinker, How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In this September. The class is filling up, so register today. For more information on the class, click here.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Fun Friday

2011-08-05T08:55:00.000-05:00

The road to publication is filled with curves and wrong turns. Keep your eyes open and your chin up. Eventually, you'll reach your destination, wherever that may be.

Here's the Fun Friday puzzle. I found it was harder than others, but that might just be me. My time was 4:32. What was yours?

What are you doing this weekend? We're going to level some of our land as we prepare to build next year. Have a great weekend!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Who Is Your Target Audience? Do You Know?

2011-08-03T10:07:00.000-05:00

Have you taken the time to figure out exactly who’s your audience? If you’re not published, what readers will you target? If you are published, who do you think will read your books? These are important questions to answer if you’re looking to build your brand. And you should be. You want readers to see your name and know what type of books you write. You want them to know what to expect when they open your novel. But who are your readers?

Please don’t tell me your readers will be anyone who reads, or all romance readers if you write romance. You really need to be more specific. Not all romance novels are written the same. Some are funny and light, while others are dark and scary. Some focus on historical periods and others take place in the future or in some fictional world. Just because these types of books all have romance in common doesn’t mean they share the same readers. In fact, for the most part, they won’t.

That’s why it’s so important for you to recognize who your readers are or will be. You need to know where to focus your marketing efforts. How can you reach your specific target if you don’t know who it is?

I write dark romantic suspense and I realize not all romantic suspense readers will like what I write. Look at the difference between light and dark romantic suspense. Light r/s is when the killer’s POV isn’t presented, and the crime has been committed before we turn the page, so there isn’t much blood, gore, or violence. Dark r/s, as you can imagine, is the opposite. Readers get to see how evil the killer is because they can experience his thoughts through his POV. Depending on the level of darkness of the story, violence, torture, blood, and gore may be shown, not just talked about. Readers of light romantic suspense might be disturbed by the level of violence and creepiness my villains bring to the table. For that reason, it’s very important that I show my cards immediately. I try to start my stories with a dark prologue so readers understand what they’re getting into. I also know that people who love the TV show Criminal Minds will like my books. Readers who enjoy Allison Brennan’s level of dark will feel comfortable with mine.

While the perfectionist in me hasn’t allowed me to send my stories to agents or stop editing my books to death—I’m working on that—I’ve still given this some thought. As a result, I’m going to make some changes to my blog come September. Monday will be all about crimes, murders, serial killers, and the like. I want to attract readers who enjoy this type of information because they are my target audience. Wednesdays will be Writing Wednesdays, so I’ll continue to post writing related material or critiques. I’ll keep Fun Fridays as they are because I’m addicted to those darn puzzles. I’ll post a schedule to remind everyone of these changes as September approaches. For now, enjoy two writing related posts a week and one puzzle post.

What about you? Have you figured out who your readers are? What are you doing about it? How are you targeting them?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Is Your Protagonist a Zero or a Hero?

2011-08-01T11:21:00.001-05:00

Is your protagonist a zero or a hero? Did you create a wimpy protagonist? Compare the lists below with your main character and see whether he (or she) passes the test.

A Wimp…

-retreats whenever conflict is present
-worries and is indecisive
-may not know himself and because of this makes inconsistent choices
-crumbles under pressure
-can’t handle pain, physical or emotional
-is boring
-lacks self-esteem and courage
-blame others for his problems instead of trying to resolve the issues
-avoids, avoids, avoids. A wimp avoids intimacy, conflict, responsibility, etc…
-is forgettable, doesn’t stand out

A Hero…

-refuses to give up, retreat, lose, or die
-saves others and/or himself
-has a good understanding of himself
-is confident and brave
-takes risks
-will do whatever it takes to get the job done
-accepts responsibility and learns from his mistakes
-is strong mentally, emotionally, and/or physically
-takes charge
-is unforgettable

One of the most crushing comments a writer can hear is that her protagonist is a wimp. However, this is something she can fix. First, she needs to better understand her character. Some writers interview their characters and others create a GMC (goals, motivations, and conflicts) chart. With this new understanding, she can go through her manuscript and question everything the protagonist says and does. Was that heroic? If not, can she make the necessary amendments without changing the scene too much? Does she have to rewrite the scene or delete it and write a new one?

Have you ever had someone tell you your character is too wimpy? Have you felt you needed to make your protagonist stronger? Looking back, have any of your protagonists been a little on the wimpy side?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Fun Friday

2011-07-29T08:59:00.000-05:00

Here's your Fun Friday puzzle. I watched "I Shouldn't Be Alive" last night and this puzzle seemed to fit with the dangers in that episode. My time was 3:24. What was yours?

What are your plans for the weekend? We're going to work on the yard. I suppose we should clean the house, too. Ugh. Soon the kids will be old enough and we can have them do all the work. Hehehe. I'm kidding. Have a great weekend!

Not Another Sex Scene Part 2

2011-07-27T08:42:00.000-05:00

Here are more great tips I picked up from the workshop Not Another Sex Scene presented by Anne Gracie and Kelly Hunter at the RWA conference in NY.

When writing a sex scene, you need to decide on the stakes for each character. For example, the hero might gain revenge, solace, reinforcement of self-image, physical release, ownership, etc… But what does he risk losing? Self-respect, control, his heart, freedom, the illusion about his effect on women? Balancing the gains and the risks creates conflict and adds to the scene, so it’s not just about the sex.

More questions to ask:

-Which character has the upper hand?
-Who’s in control?
-Who THINKS he/she’s in control?
-Is there confusion?
-Does she think he loves her now? (Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t. How she reacts to her expectation will create conflict.)
-Does he feel pressured to commit after they were so intimate? (Maybe she’s pressuring him to commit or maybe he’s making that assumption. Both scenarios can create conflict.)
-How has their relationship changed now that they’ve had sex? (And it needs to change.)
-Did this scene resolve an issue? For example, they now know they’re sexually compatible. If having sex resolved one issue, another one must take its place to keep conflict in the story.

Are you catching on to the theme of this post? Even sex scenes must create conflict in your story.

How do you handle your sex scenes? Look at the questions above. Do you consider any of these when you create your sex scenes? Have you created a balance between risk and gain?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

In case you missed it, I'm teaching Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In. Click the link for more information about this online class.

Not Another Sex Scene by Kelly Hunter and Anne Gracie

2011-07-25T09:59:00.000-05:00

While I was at the RWA conference, I attended a workshop called Not Another Sex Scene. The speakers, Kelly Hunter and Anne Gracie, did a fantastic job.

Here are some of their tips:

-Build anticipation before the sex scene so the sexual tension is so intense, the sex scene will be a release (no pun intended).

-Don’t forget to use as many senses as possible. What does the hero smell like? Does his skin taste salty or sweet? Does he moan or does his breathing quicken and become heavy?

-It’s not all about the sexual act itself, it’s also about the emotions, especially for the woman. She may experience these feelings during their “adventure” together and will either be conscious of them at the moment or the feelings will really hit her afterwards.

-Before you write the scene, decide what type of sex scene you’re going to write and label it. This will help keep you on track for the audience you’re targeting. For example, hot & heavy – fly by night, I’m mad at you sex, first time together, almost sex, disaster, etc… Expectations for each of these types of scenes will be different, so knowing ahead of time what you’re going to write will help ensure you stick to those expectations.

-If the sex scene happens early in the book, the focus should be more about the physical act and sensations. If the scene is later in the book, the characters have had a chance to bond, so the scene will be more about the emotional connection and less about the actual act.

-Lock your editor in the closet (unless I’m your editor). Allow yourself the freedom to write the scene the way your gut tells you to write it. Edit later.

-Whose POV should you use? Who has the most to lose or the most to hide? Use their POV.

-Ask yourself how much you want to reveal about the character’s inner thoughts. Change POV if your character wants to hold something back so we don’t see what he/she’s thinking.

-Watch for moving body parts. For example, you shouldn’t write, “Her hand stroked his cheek.” You should write, “She stroked his cheek.” Keep the character, not the body part, as the subject in the sentence.

-Make sure the tone of the scene goes with the tone of the story. Remember the setting affects the tone of the scene, too.

-Avoid clichés like having it rain or thunder.

See? I told you Kelly Hunter and Anne Gracie did a fantastic job with this workshop. I’ll share more about what they said in another post.

What are your tricks for writing sex scenes?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

In case you missed it, I'm teaching Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In. Click the link for more information about this online class.

Fun Friday

2011-07-22T08:16:00.000-05:00

I love horses, so when I saw this puzzle, I had to do it. My time was 3:44. What was yours?

We've had quite the week with a tornado warning and wicked storms, swimming lessons, and the fair. Crazy, crazy. How has your week been? What are your plans for the weekend? We're going to have family pictures taken and swim, swim, swim. That's the only way to deal with the heat. Have a good one!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

Live Through Me - Part 5

2011-07-20T13:05:00.000-05:00

Here’s the last installment of my adventures at the RWA conference.

Friday morning, I was so excited for the first workshop. Two hours with best-selling author Roxanne St. Claire!!! She was going to teach us how to mend a broken scene by showing us some scenes taken from her first drafts. She explained what her editor told her was wrong with the scenes and showed us how she fixed them. This was by far the best workshop I attended.

Next, I went to a one-page plot workshop. I have to be honest, while the presenter was able to cram her plot onto one page, I don’t think that would work for me. I need too many details in my plot outline.

After that, I met up with a good friend and old critique buddy of mine, author Roni Loren. We went to the NAL book signing. The best part of this was that the authors signed the free books and addressed them to me. So cool. I’ll keep those forever.

I didn’t have time to eat lunch that day since we’d stayed in line to enter the book signing. Luckily, I had a couple of granola bars stashed in my bag just in case. The hotel had water stations all over, so we never had to worry about dragging bottles with us. What a relief. The books were heavy enough.

My next workshop was Clawing Your Way to the Top. My biggest take-away from that was that the new shelf life for books in bookstores is only 45 days. It used to be 90. In other words, if you’re not a best-selling author, after 45 days, your book will be returned to your publisher. Ugh.

The last two workshops I attended didn’t really teach me anything new. By the end of the day, I was tired of listening to speakers, so I skipped my last workshop and returned to my hotel to drop off my books. I met up with my roommate and her friend. We went out for supper and later caught a Broadway act. My first. John Leguizamo. Wow. He was amazing. If you get a chance to see him, you must go.

Well, that’s the end of my adventures in RWA land. I didn’t pitch. However, I did get up enough nerve to approach an editor and tell her I liked her energy. I’d seen her at a workshop earlier in the week. The best part? I brought 36 free books home, so I’ll have enough reading to last me quite some time.

Would you ever approach an agent or editor at a conference? Or have you? Spill the beans. What did you say or do? How did she react?

In case you missed it, I'm teaching Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In. Click the link for more information about this online class.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Live Through Me - Part 4

2011-07-18T10:53:00.000-05:00

Here’s the next installment of my adventures at the RWA conference.

I was supposed to go to the workshop Character Mining next, but it was cancelled. Bummer. However, this ended up being a good thing. I went to Money Talks: the Best-Kept Secrets of Digital Authors. What. An. Eye. Opener. Holy cow! Maya Banks is a best-selling author with three traditional publishers and Sanhaim (an e-publisher). She said she was making more money with Sanhaim than she was with the three traditional publishers combined. Isn’t that nuts? One of the reasons is that she has sixteen books out with Sanhaim but still…

Throughout the conference there has been a lot of talk about self-publishing and one thing everyone seemed to agree on is if you’re going to do it, you absolutely need a freelance copyeditor. I couldn’t agree more. I’ve seen too many books that could’ve done well if a freelance editor (like myself) had gotten her hands on the manuscript before it went out.

My last workshop for the day was Getting Past So Close. This was more motivational than informative, at least for me. For some, getting published is easy, but that’s not the norm. This was a great reminder to stay positive despite all the negatives that can be thrown your way in this industry.

After the workshops were over, I walked back to my room to drop off all the books I’d acquired during the day and thought I might get to sneak in a little nap before going out again. Nope. My writing friends, authors Erin Kellison and KC Klein invited me to go out for dinner with them and they were ready to go. So, I dumped off my bag, turned around and walked the 10-15 minutes it took to get back to the Marquis, where they were staying.

While we were eating at a restaurant, a woman collapsed at the table beside us. Her family tried to get her talking, but she clearly had some sort of healthy issue. Within minutes, the men in blue arrived and shortly after that, the EMTs joined the scene. We’re not sure what happened but think the woman may have had a stroke. In any case, our hearts went out to that poor family. I hope the woman was okay.

Have you ever been in a public place when something like that happened? What did you do?

In case you missed it, I'm teaching Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In. Click the link for more information about this online class.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In

2011-07-16T13:54:00.004-05:00

Do you know how to hook your readers? I mean, really hook them. Do you immediately think it’s all about the first paragraph? WRONG! Well…sort of.

The first paragraph is definitely important. But there’s so much more to hooking your reader and keeping her on the line until the very last page.

In Hook, Line, and Sinker, you’ll learn:

• How a hook can make or break a sale.
• How genre affects the hook.
• How to get the most out of your first line, first paragraph, chapter hooks, and cliff hangers.
• The difference between ho hum hooks and bestsellers.
• How the pros hook the reader and keep ‘em hooked.

Other benefits of Hook, Line, and Sinker include:

• Limited class size (no more than 30 students per class) means individualized instruction.
• Opportunities to submit samples of your manuscript or work in progress for critique.
• Professional editing of your work.

About the Instructor: Lynnette Labelle is a certified copyeditor and proofreader with over a decade of experience. She’s the owner of Labelle’s Writing on the Wall, a professional editing and manuscript service. Her editing services focus on helping writers, both beginners and published professionals, to perfect their craft and polish their manuscripts so they can take their careers to the next level. Lynnette is the editor of LoveBytes, RWA Online’s newsletter. For more information, visit www.labelleseditorialservices.com/

When: September 6-30 (Loop will open Sept. 1 for introductions.)

Cost: $25 US (International students will have two payments options.)

Registration is open.

Contact Lynnette Labelle at: labelle@labelleseditorialservices.com to sign up.

What writers have said about Hook, Line,and Sinker: How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In:

“Lynnette’s Hook, Line & Sinker is a great course that gives a good grounding in the tools you need to keep a reader hooked on your book. She make sense, and gives good examples of the terms you hear all the time from other writing instructors. The difference with Hook, Line & Sinker is you understand it at the end. She also shows you with the samples of your own work when she not only tells you where it’s weak, but offers solid ideas on how to make it better. If you’re serious about your writing this course is more than worth it.” –GK Parker, author, http://gkparkernoir.com

“Thank you for a wonderful workshop. The amount of information I have learnt here surpasses all the other classes and books I have used. I liked the way you facilitated information. (In my day job, I teach high school chemistry, and I know how easily students
lose interest.) I am a logical sequential learner, and your instruction style appealed to my learning style. Your lessons were organized and feedback honest and prompt. And you didn’t make us buy gazillion books, but made us re-read the books we liked and used those as examples instead. Very difficult for an instructor to keep up with all different
readings from the students. I absolutely enjoyed every single lesson and assignment
including interacting with others in this group.” –Ushma Kothari, writer

“I have taken many, many online classes and this one was extremely valuable. Your expertise and teaching style were a perfect mix. The assignments were very doable and even enjoyable. This class came at the perfect time for me and I think what I have learned was one of the vital missing links for me. I wish you offered more classes. Again, thanks for a great class.” –Suzanne Purvis, writer

“Your approach and format were the best I have seen in RWA. By that I mean, setting up the topic, reviewing published and favorite work as examples, having participants submit WIP examples, and then editing them. The final step, reviewing other people’s
submissions, just added frosting to the cupcake.” –Katina Drennan, writer

“From a former teacher’s perspective, your notes are clear, concise and to the point. I have taught a multitude of methods classes to young aspiring teachers and your work is spot
on. I have learned A LOT and I like the way you explain the hooking process, give examples (you can tell I’m a math geek)…………and the lessons: finding examples in what has been read plus applying the context of what you’ve had put out to model and react to is great.” –Laurie Bumpus, writer

Contact Lynnette Labelle at: labelle@labelleseditorialservices.com to save a spot now.

Fun Friday

2011-07-15T07:50:00.002-05:00

Good morning! I came across this cute duck puzzle and couldn't resist. Maybe I should've waited until I woke up before I attempted to solve the puzzle though. My time was 4:16. What was yours?

Do you have any plans for the weekend? This is the first time we'll be home since I left for New York at the end of June, so we have some chores to catch up on. Fun. Have a good one!

Come back Monday for the next piece of my adventures at the RWA convention in New York.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

Live Through Me - Part 3

2011-07-13T11:02:00.000-05:00

Here’s the next installment of my adventures at the RWA conference.

After lunch was over, the workshops began. I went to Hips Don’t Lie: Body Language Between the Sexes, where I learned humans are vulnerable in three main areas: the neck, the heart, and the groin. When you see someone covering those areas (crossing arms or legs, hand at the throat, arms down with hands over the groin, etc…), they’re trying to protect themselves both physically and emotionally. According to the presenter, straight men aren’t good at reading body language, but women and gay men are especially good at it. Interesting, eh? Remember that when you’re writing and trying to show the difference between your hero and heroine’s POV.

Next, I went to Discovering Story Magic. This was a two hour workshop and the presenter still didn’t have enough time to go through everything. However, I was finally able to see how a storyboard works and am planning on using it as a tool when I’m evaluating manuscripts as well as editing my own. The presenter also showed us how to make a character grid to make it easier to verify the character’s arc. If you have a chance to attend this workshop, I recommend it.

After the workshops were over, I met up with my roommate again. We went out for dinner and hung out in our hotel room the rest of the night. We were both a little overwhelmed and wanted to get a good night sleep. Kind of boring, I know, but I’m a workshop whore, so I needed to have a fresh mind in the morning.

I started my day on Thursday with Virna De Paul’s workshop. Virna did a great job presenting Bargain Hunter: Getting the Best Bang for Story Structure and Turning Points. Okay, maybe I’m a little biased because she’s my friend and it was cool to see her teaching the workshop, but I still believe this is a worthwhile workshop.

Next on the agenda was Not Another Sex Scene. I have too many notes on this workshop. I’ll write another post all about what I learned in this workshop after I’m finished going through my first RWA experience.

I was very excited about my next workshop: The Romantic Suspense Market: Advice from the Pros. Best-selling authors Karen Rose and Stephanie Tyler were paired up with Shauna Summers, editor for Bantam Dell. My biggest take-away from this workshop is that you need to be able to express how your characters and story are different from all the other romantic suspense novels out there. The same advice would apply to any genre. Editors want a unique twist to stories that have been done before, but they don’t want something so far out there that they won’t be able to sell it. Readers have expectations, too, so both the writer and editor must keep that in mind.

The next workshop I attended was Got High Concept? by Lori Wilde. I must admit, I’ve heard conflicting reports on what exactly is “high concept”. Everything I’d known it to be was wrong according to Lori. It’s not Jaws meets Harry Potter. It’s not the back cover blurb or a series of hooks. So, what is it? I can’t say I have a good enough grasp on the definition to be able to teach anyone what it is. Lori sells all her books using high concept. However, other authors and agents at the convention said it wasn’t necessary. A good book is a good book. Period.

If you’ve gone to a conference, were you overwhelmed? Did your mind feel like it was going to explode? Did you party at night or was your brain too fried? What do you think of “high concept”?

Live Through Me - Part 2

2011-07-11T09:05:00.002-05:00

I’m back from vacation and can now continue to share my adventures at my first Romance Writers of America conference. Here’s the first post, in case you missed it.

After the orientation, my roommate and I went to the Goody Room, a designated area where authors leave promotional material for others to take home. This can be books, trading cards, bookmarks, chocolates, lip balm, business cards, and all kinds of other treats. We grabbed as much as we could, then stopped for a quick visit at the RWA Online Chapter party—since I’m the chapter’s newsletter editor, I couldn’t resist—before heading back to our hotel for the night.

The next morning, I went to the Opening Session with guest speakers: Steve Berry, Diana Gabaldon, and Tess Gerritsen, who answered questions on the fly. Books and coffee were provided by Ballantine Bantam Dell. This session was fantastic! Not only did the speakers answer the questions, they interacted with each other, making the whole experience seem less formal and more fun.

I had a break in my schedule, so I met with my friend, author Virna De Paul. We chatted about our stories, writing, the business, and conferences. She also introduced me to a friend of hers and the networking began. This really opened my eyes because I realized networking doesn’t have to be done with complete strangers. You can often meet many people through the people you already know. Okay, should’ve been obvious, but the thought hadn’t crossed my mind until then.

One of the things RWA tells you to do (if you went to the First Timers’ Orientation) is to sit with strangers rather than your friends and force yourself to make new friends and/or contacts. With that in mind, I ventured to the Broadway Ballroom for the Keynote Luncheon. On the way there, I met a woman on the elevator and we decided to eat together. As it turns out, she’s self-published and looking for a freelance editor. How lucky for her (wink) I just happen to be a certified copyeditor. We moved toward the front of the room, even though it was packed with people. I didn’t see how we’d find a table with two empty seats, but we did. We introduced ourselves to the others at the table and chatted for a bit while we ate our lunch.

I should mention every time you sit down at a luncheon, there are books waiting for you at the table. Free books. Gotta love that, right? Madeline Hunter was the keynote speaker for this session and was wonderful.

If you’ve ever been to a conference before, how did you go about networking with other writers?

Live Through Me - Part 1

2011-07-05T16:09:00.002-05:00

Last week, I had my first taste of a Romance Writers of America conference. I’ve never been to a conference before, but I’d heard this is one of the big ones and not to be missed. My next few posts will be dedicated to my experiences at RWA.

I arrived in New York on Tuesday and, after getting settled in the “overflow hotel” aka The Manhattan, went straight to the conference to check in. Right away, I received a bag and a handful of free books. Then, I went to the “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing. This event was coming to an end but was still packed with people. I managed to meet up with two of my author friends who were doing signings (Erin Kellison and Virna De Paul), and I had one-on-one time with my idol, Allison Brennan. I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t recognize her at first because in her pictures she’d always had black hair and red lipstick. At the signing, her hair was much lighter, she wore glasses, and if she had lipstick on, it was a pale shade. A different look for her but I don’t think the woman could ever have a bad look. Of course, she is on a pedestal, so… Allison gave me some great advice and has brought my muse back to life. I’ll be eternally grateful.

By 8 PM, I made my way over to the “First Timers’ Orientation”. I wouldn’t say this is a necessity, but I walked away with a better understanding of what’s expected of us and what we should expect. For example, we were told that the workshop presenters won’t have a problem with people getting up and walking out in the middle of their workshop. Sometimes people have pitch appointments they have to go to, and other times, the workshop simply isn’t what you’d imagined. I never had the guts to leave and always wanted to give the presenter the benefit of the doubt. Surely, there must be something they could teach me. Maybe it’ll come closer to the end of the workshop. That never happened. In hindsight, I’m still not sure I’d walk out, but I’d definitely consider it next time.

Since I have too much to tell you about my first experience at a writers’ conference, my next few posts will be continuations from this one.

Have you attended a conference? Have you ever walked out? How did you feel?

Fun Friday

2011-06-24T09:21:00.000-05:00

Here's your Fun Friday puzzle. I picked it because I'm going to fly to NY in a few days for the Romance Writers of America conference. That means I won't be blogging. Sorry. That doesn't mean you can't fill me in on your days and let me know what's going on in your life or with your writing. Feel free to leave comments daily. :)

My time was 3:51. What was yours?

Are you going to RWA? Have you ever been to a writing conference? What do you have planned for the next couple of weeks? Don't have too much fun without me. :)

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

Questions You MUST Ask an Agent BEFORE Signing

2011-06-22T09:50:00.000-05:00

Are you getting ready to query? Have you been querying for a while? Have agents shown interest in your work? Do you have partial or full manuscripts in the hands of agents right now? Are you ready for THE call?

No, seriously. Are you ready for THE CALL?

Have you researched the agents you queried? Do you know what type of books they sell and what kind of deals they’re making? Do you know who their clients are? Have you researched the agents at all? If not, you’d better get to work. These are questions you should know the answers to BEFORE you get THE call. Don’t waste the agent’s time asking these things when she calls. She expects you to know everything about her already.

So, what do you ask an agent when she calls you? Here’s short list of questions you may not have thought to ask but should.

-How much revising does she think is necessary to make this story shine?
-Will she sent editorial suggestions to you and how detailed will they be?
-Does the agent see foreign rights potential? If so, how does she sell those rights (in-house person, sub-agents, or a combination of both)? How does that affect you?
-Does she see movie potential? If so, how would she sell those rights?
-Will she send you copies of emails from editors so you can follow along during the submission process?
-Does she check in with her clients or simply respond when needed?
-How available is she for phone calls and emails? What’s an approximate response time if you contact her?
-Will you work with her directly or will you be working primarily with her assistant?

These are questions you need to ask BEFORE you sign with an agent. Sure, it’s exciting to get THE call, but if you jump into a relationship that isn’t really what you wanted, you’ll regret it later. Know what you’re getting into before you sign on the dotted line.

And after talking with the agent, don’t be afraid to sleep on it. Ask yourself if you even like the agent. Is there good chemistry between the two of you? Does she love, love, love your story? If not, you might want to turn this agent down. Having the wrong agent work for you is worse than not having one at all.

What are some other questions you should ask the agent? Have you gotten THE call? How did it feel? Do you know of writers (don’t mention names) who jumped into a relationship with the first agent who offered representation and now regret it? What other advice can you offer writers who get THE call?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

Dialogue Disasters

2011-06-20T09:43:00.000-05:00

We know why it’s a good idea to include dialogue in our stories (see this post if you missed it), but what about bad dialogue? How can dialogue go wrong? Let’s take a look at some common dialogue blunders.

Chitchat: I’ve talked about this before. It’s when a character goes on and on about nothing. Or when two characters exchange small talk about the weather or what they had for supper. The point is that this type of dialogue doesn’t move the story forward and doesn’t add to the development of the characters. While it’s true we speak like that in real life, we don’t want to read about it in fiction.

The Filler-Inner: This is when the author uses dialogue to tell the reader about something in the past. This can work, but must be done in a way that it doesn’t come across as fake. For example, Bob says, “As you know, Mary, we broke up three years ago.” This doesn’t represent true dialogue because Mary obviously knows this already, so the only purpose it serves it to inform the reader. Instead, this same message should’ve been in either Bob or Mary’s inner dialogue so the reader sees his or her thoughts on this but the writing doesn’t come across as amateurish. The other way to approach this is if you really need to show the reader something that happened in the past and you want to do it through dialogue, have Bob tell another character who doesn’t know his history. For example, Bob could tell the detective, “I haven’t seen Mary since we broke up three years ago.”

Drama Queen: This is when dialogue is filled with exclamation points, but it’s also over the top. For example, “Johnny, how could you do this to me! After every thing we’ve been through! Tell me I’m wrong! Tell me you’re not leaving!” Granted sometimes you want ONE character to be a drama queen, but this has to be done on purpose and don’t make this character one of your main characters. Just as drama queens can be exhausting in real life, they are in fiction.

Name Dropping: Too many beginning writers name drop. All. The. Time. This is when the characters call each other by name several times a page. Think about it. In real life, we rarely call people by name when we’re having a discussion with them. It comes across as condescending. For example, “Yes, Bill. I see what you’re saying. Now, Bill, what if we each took a different route and timed it? Then, we could see which is the fastest.” The reader should know who’s talking because of the way the text is set up either with action tags, inner dialogue, or narration, so there’s no need to have the characters call each other by name. Occasionally, you can do this, but it should be RARE.

Telling Emotions: This is when a character tells another character (and the reader) how he feels rather than show it. For example, “I’m so angry that she left me. I just want to kill someone.” Instead, maybe he should slam his fist through a wall, stomp his foot, grind his teeth, make a fist… anything but this.

Dialogue should read naturally. If you know and feel your characters, the words will flow. However, if you’re still struggling with dialogue, try paying closer attention to how others speak in real life, on TV, in movies, and in published novels.

Which dialogue disaster bothers you the most? What other blunders do writers make when writing dialogue? What is your dialogue weakness?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

Fun Friday

2011-06-17T10:25:00.000-05:00

Is the weather getting hot over there? It's starting to heat up over here, so I thought the match puzzle was perfect. My time was 3:37. What was yours?

What are you doing this weekend? Looks like we're finally going to plant our garden. Yay! We might take the twins for a bike ride and maybe some extra swimming lessons. How about you? What are your plans? Have a great weekend!

Lynnette Labelle
www.lynnettelabelle.com
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Job Opening - Only Fantastic Dialogue Need Apply

2011-06-15T14:01:00.000-05:00

In real life, people talk about the weather, what they had for supper or what they’re going to do for the weekend. They might ramble on and on and on, or not say much at all. However, in fiction, dialogue must be written better than real life conversations. If only one of the characters is doing all the talking, it might be too one-sided. If a character is rambling, the reader might get bored. Instead, dialogue needs to multitask. It should:

-increase the story’s pace
-deliver information like backstory in more of a showing vs. telling way
-create a sense of immediacy and reality so the reader feels she’s almost hearing the characters speak
-increase the conflict, reveal a secret, tell a lie—move the story forward, complicating the plot
-add tension or humor to the scene
-reveal who the character is because we see how she treats others and the language she uses
-showcase the character’s unique voice

Basically, if your dialogue doesn’t do at least one of the above mentioned jobs, it should be fired. If the dialogue accomplishes two of these goals, that’s fine, but why not do more with it? Try to push the limits and see how many “jobs” the dialogue can do.

Have you read dry dialogue before? Have you skimmed sections of dialogue because it was too wordy or boring? How do you know when dialogue is working? How do you know when it’s not?

Lynnette Labelle
www.lynnettelabelle.com
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Cutting Back on Backstory

2011-06-13T11:18:00.002-05:00

Is your story a victim of backstory dumps? Here’s a list to help you find and destroy SOME of that nasty backstory that should really stay hidden.

-Go through your first fifty pages and highlight all the backstory. Cut whatever isn’t absolutely essential. Meaning: just because it’s interesting doesn’t mean the reader NEEDS to know about it.

-Chop what’s left into small, manageable bits.

-Change things around. Try not to have all the backstory as narrative. Instead, have some of the past told through dialogue or flashbacks (but limit the flashbacks.)

-Try to hold back some information and refrain from the too-much-too-soon syndrome.

-Don’t dump backstory after a new character is introduced. Slowly, show the reader what this character is all about.

-When using dialogue to tell backstory, avoid using “Remember…” or “As you know…”

-Make sure the backstory isn’t in a big chunk or it’ll slow the story. Imagine your story as if it’s being told on a walking conveyor belt (like at the airport). Anytime you talk about the past (backstory), you have to get off the conveyor belt and go in the other direction. If you do that too often or for too long, your story won’t go anywhere (but you’re reader will—she’ll find another book.)

What are other hints writers can use to identify backstory? How do you know how much to cut? What are some of the worst examples of too much backstory that you’ve seen?

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

Fun Friday

2011-06-10T08:06:00.000-05:00

As you may have guessed, I'm not the fastest puzzle solver--partly because of my lack of coordination when using the mouse. However, I still really love playing with puzzles, so here's another one for you. My time was 4:15. What was yours?

Looks like rain today, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and most of next week. That only leaves Saturday as a sunny day, so we'd better make the best of it. We have lawn work to do and would like to plant a garden. It's been too cold until now to plant much of anything. Plus, I'd like to take the twins out on their bikes. Our street is too busy, so it's not like I can send them out on their own. We actually have to leave the area before we can "relax" and enjoy a ride.

What are your plans for the weekend? Have a good one!

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

7 Ways to Create Powerful Conflict

2011-06-08T11:35:00.002-05:00

I’ve been talking about conflict a lot lately. I know. Still, I couldn’t drop the topic without giving you one more list.

Here are seven tips for creating powerful conflict:

-The best conflict comes from your main character’s worst fear coming true at the worst possible moment.

-Plunk characters into situations that clash with their beliefs or values.

-Conflict in a story is a test for the character. Sometimes he’ll pass and grow from the experience. Other times, he won’t overcome the situation but will still grow in the process. Keywords: character growth.

-Don’t create a plot based on a single conflict. Instead, layer several conflicts, some worse than others, complicating the plot further and making the protagonist’s journey seem impossible.

-Show a character protecting real or emotional boundaries.

-Often, one character needs to change or make a sacrifice/compromise to resolve the conflict.

-Make the main characters uncomfortable. Put them in situations where the odds seemed stacked against them.

Obviously, there are many ways to improve conflict in your novel. Tell us about other ways you’ve created powerful conflict or what you’ve noticed other authors have done.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

5 Things I Didn't Know About Getting Published by Raquel Byrnes

2011-06-06T11:29:00.000-05:00

Today, we have a treat. A special guest. Author Raquel Byrnes who wrote the newly released novel called Purple Knot is here to tell us a thing or two about getting published. Thanks for stopping by, Raquel.

Raquel Byrnes lives in Southern, California with her husband of sixteen years and their six children. She considers inspirational fiction a wonderful way to minister to others. She writes romantic suspense with an edge-your-seat pace. Her first book the Shades of Hope Series, Purple Knot, releases on June 3rd from White Rose Publishing. You can visit her at her website: www.raquelbyrnes.com and her writing blog, Edge of Your Seat Romance.

5 Things I Didn’t Know About Getting Published

by Raquel Byrnes

It’s the holy grail of writing. Seeing your book in print is every author’s dream. Elusive for so long, what I learned about getting published once it happened came as a surprise. Here a few things I’d like to share with you.

· It takes a long time. Not kidding. A long time. I used to think that signing with an agent meant publication was just around the corner. Not so much. It may take a year or more to find a home for your manuscript and then the real waiting begins.

· The editorial process isn’t as painful as I’d feared. I used to hear horror stories about evil editors with blood-red pens slashing the life out of stories. This couldn’t be further from the truth. They want you to succeed. They want to help you make your book better, tighter, more compelling. Let them.

· Your proposal informs a lot of what marketing says about your book. This was my biggest surprise. The blurbs and taglines you create all get used both by your agent and the publisher for your media kit. From back cover text to book trailer snippets, your words help to sell your novel, so make sure your proposal is amazing.

· You have to learn marketing. No matter the size of the publisher from big box to small imprint, you need to educate yourself. How to give great interviews. How to deal with bookstore owners. How to connect with readers. These are all important skills, and you have to teach them to yourself.

· It’s not the finish line. One book release does not a career make. You have to keep producing for your agent and the publisher. Get on a schedule. Write your ideas down and find the time to keep writing.

Publication is only as wonderful as your outlook. It’s not about numbers or validation. It’s about achieving a dream and sharing your love of storytelling. I’ve learned to keep in mind why I started this crazy journey in the first place.

It’s the love of creating worlds and characters, a passion to tell a riveting tale, and my need to write no matter what.

When her best friend, is murdered, Reyna Cruz doesn't believe the police have the whole story. An investigator by trade, she has the talent to track Summer’s killer, but when clues lead to a family connection and a vicious gang, she suddenly becomes the hunted. At the end of her rope, Reyna must decide to trust the God she believes abandoned her.

Wanting justice for his sister’s murder, lawyer Jimmy Corbeau agrees to help Reyna—even though she’s his ex-fiancé, and their break-up devastated him. Romance is reawakened, but so are memories of their tragic undoing. Jimmy must decide if he will fight for a future with Reyna or allow their past to derail the investigation and his second chance at love.

When the investigation goes awry and Summer’s infant daughter is kidnapped, Reyna must put her life on the line. Will Jimmy and Reyna survive the desperate measures it takes to recover his niece, catch a killer, and secure a happily-ever-after for them all?

Thanks again, Raquel! Good luck on your new release!

Fun Friday - Early

2011-06-02T16:09:00.001-05:00

Check out this puzzle. Nice, eh? My time was 3:09. What was yours?

What are you doing this weekend? I have a full plate. Again. LOL Have a good one!

Conflict IS NOT...

2011-06-01T09:54:00.002-05:00

You’ve probably heard this before, but a story without conflict isn’t a story—or rather it’s a boring story. You must have conflict throughout the plot. BUT in order to do that, you need to understand that not every little argument is a conflict. Let’s take a look at what conflict is not.

Conflict IS NOT:

-an argument between two character UNLESS the disagreement escalates to an emotional change (like she doesn’t love him anymore or can’t be with him any longer), someone is threatened, or reaching the character’s goal is at stake either because of the squabble or what happens afterwards.

-a protagonist who lives her life without any choices, problems, or dilemmas. She needs these things because she should make mistakes and learn from them in order to grow. If everything is easy for her, there’s no reason to read the story. The reader can assume everything will work out for the protagonist.

-behavior or actions that are not caused by the character’s motivations to reach her goals. Always keeps the goals, motivations, and conflicts in mind. That’s what’s driving your story forward.

-a protagonist who doesn’t care about conflict or doesn’t react to it. Without adversity, there is no story.

-a situation where the protagonist or her goals are not at risk and there’s little at stake. In your story, the stakes must increase as the protagonist overcomes obstacles in her way to achieving her goal.

-a plot where the main story question doesn’t cause complications for the protagonist.

-predictable outcomes. While SOME outcomes will be predictable, like in romance where we know the hero and heroine will be together in the end, we still need some elements of unpredictability. How and when will the hero and heroine find their way to each other? What has to happen before they can confess their love?

Basically, conflict gives the reader a reason to read further. She wants to see how the hero will overcome this obstacle and how the heroine will reach her goal. Make that happen, but not by having the hero and heroine bicker throughout the novel. That’s not true conflict.

As a freelance editor, what I see most often is when a writer uses arguments between the hero and heroine and believes this is conflict. The characters fight about silly little things just so they have a reason to bicker and not get along. In this case, the author believes the resolution to the conflict is the magical moment when the hero and heroine realize they love each other and that their fighting was silly, so they decide to get along. Or they realize the reason they fought was because they were trying to keep an emotional distance and now that they want to be together, that’s no longer the case. This doesn’t work because people don’t analyze relationships like that. Well, maybe writers and psychologists do, but most folks don’t, so the story becomes unbelievable. Not to mention it would be pretty annoying to have to read about little squabbles all throughout the novel.

Have you used any of these non-conflicts from my list and believed they were conflicts? Or have you read a story where the author seemed to use one of these examples as her main conflict? What’s the best example of a non-conflict that you’ve come across?

Fun Friday

2011-05-27T09:14:00.002-05:00

Here's a sign you don't want to see... My time was 3:27. What was yours?

What are you doing this weekend? The whole family is sick, so we're going to take it easy over here. Have a good one!

Coming Up With a Strong Conflict

2011-05-25T11:19:00.000-05:00

Having a hard time coming up with a conflict strong enough to take the characters to the end? Maybe this list can help.

-Man Against Man: one character against another (usually one is good and one is evil, but that’s not always the case.)

-Man Against Nature: a story about survival.

-Man Against Himself: strong internal conflicts, where the character may be fighting an external conflict as well, but must battle his inner demons before the story is over.

-Man Against the Supernatural: the title says it all.

-Man Against Fate: the character has little or no control over the situation and can’t escape his destiny, making this conflict even more difficult to overcome (and difficult for the writer to write in a believable way.)

-Man Against Society: when a character goes against mainstream beliefs and values, or laws of a particular society.

-Man Against Machine: this conflict is more commonly found in science fiction, where machines have a mind of their own.

-Man Against God: this story puts the existence of God and His (or Her) choices into question. Be careful with this one as it’s pretty controversial and must be executed properly so as to not alienate readers.

If you tend to stick to the same type of conflict, you might want to try something different. Hopefully, this list will give you a few ideas.

What conflict do you often write about and why?

Sad Times

2011-05-22T22:32:00.000-05:00

My favorite grandpa (one of three, and the last one alive) passed away. The funeral is Monday--which is probably today, depending when you read this. Please send good thoughts to my family.

I'll return to blog about something writing related on Wednesday.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Fun Friday

2011-05-20T11:29:00.000-05:00

Since I saw so many beautiful fireworks during my trip to Disney World, I couldn't resist this puzzle. My time was 4:06. What was yours?

What are your plans for this weekend? The twins turned six yesterday and are having their first real birthday party with friends. I'm excited for them, but wish people would actually RSVP so I'd know how much cake to have made. Yeah, I'm not attempting to do that myself. I can bake, but I'm no cake decorator, and this has to follow our "Tangled" theme.

Have a good one!

Jeanne Fritz's Query Revision and Critique

2011-05-18T11:51:00.001-05:00

Recently, I posted Jeanne Fritz's critiqued query letter. She has since revised it and I've critiqued it again.

Below is my detailed critique. Please select FULL SCREEN to view, then once the document is open RIGHT CLICK to ZOOM and view the comments.

Jeanne Fritz - Query Crit 2 - A Safe Place in Hell

Thanks to all who've volunteered to share their work on my blog. I'm a certified copyeditor and proofreader. If anyone is interested in having their query, synopsis, and/or manuscript edited, I can help. I'm also a writing coach, so I can teach you how to edit your own manuscript. One way to make query writing easier is to have a clear understanding of your main character(s)'s GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts). If you're struggling with GMCs, I have a one-on-one class for you. I teach the GMC course at your pace and help you discover the GMCs for your book. Contact me for more information or visit my site.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

I'm Back--Sort Of

2011-05-16T14:06:00.000-05:00

I'm back from my vacation. We surprised the twins and took them to Disney World (and Sea World, which explains why I picked that last puzzle.) Now, I'm busy catching up on everything since life somehow continued on while I was away. Go figure.

Watch for a new post on Wednesday.

In the meantime, tell me what you've been up to since I've been gone.

Fun Friday

2011-04-29T15:52:00.000-05:00

Here's the Fun Friday puzzle. I hope it's hard because it took me a long time. Should I even tell you? Ugh. My time was 4:49. Make me feel better and tell me you had a hard time solving this puzzle, too.

I'll be away from blogging for a couple of weeks. Don't have too much fun while I'm gone. See you mid-May.

Query Critique of Jeanne Fritz's A SAFE PLACE IN HELL

2011-04-27T10:29:00.000-05:00

Here's my critique of Jeanne Fritz's query for A SAFE PLACE IN HELL. Thanks to Jeanne for volunteering. Feel free to add to my crit, agree with it or disagree. Reading is subjective, and to a certain degree, so is editing.

Below is my detailed critique. Please select FULL SCREEN to view, then once the document is open RIGHT CLICK to ZOOM and view the comments.

Jeanne Fritz - Query Crit 1 - A Safe Place in Hell

Thanks to all who've volunteered to share their work on my blog. I'm a certified copyeditor and proofreader. If anyone is interested in having their query, synopsis, and/or manuscript edited, I can help. I'm also a writing coach, so I can teach you how to edit your own manuscript. One way to make query writing easier is to have a clear understanding of your main character(s)'s GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts). If you're struggling with GMCs, I have a one-on-one class for you. I teach the GMC course at your pace and help you discover the GMCs for your book. Contact me for more information or visit my site.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Fun Friday - Early

2011-04-21T08:29:00.000-05:00

Here's your puzzle for the week. My time was 3:13. What was yours?

What are you doing for Easter? We're going to have pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. I can't wait. Have a great weekend!

Holly Vance's Query Revision and Critique

2011-04-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

Recently, I posted Holly Vance's critiqued query letter. She has since revised it and I've critiqued it again.

Below is my detailed critique. Please select FULL SCREEN to view, then once the document is open RIGHT CLICK to ZOOM and view the comments.

Holly Vance - Query Crit 2 - The Artist

Thanks to all who've volunteered to share their work on my blog. I'm a certified copyeditor and proofreader. If anyone is interested in having their query, synopsis, and/or manuscript edited, I can help. I'm also a writing coach, so I can teach you how to edit your own manuscript. One way to make query writing easier is to have a clear understanding of your main character(s)'s GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts). If you're struggling with GMCs, I have a one-on-one class for you. I teach the GMC course at your pace and help you discover the GMCs for your book. Contact me for more information or visit my site.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

Seven Tips to Kill Blah, Blah, Blah Writing

2011-04-18T12:45:00.002-05:00

Blah, blah, blah writing is just that. Imagine an old lady talking your ear off about nothing. This can be small talk or simply someone going into far too many details than what’s necessary.

Okay, I’ll admit I used to be one of those people. I guess because communicating came so easy to me, I felt the need to share every little detail when I told someone about my day. Most people allowed me this luxury, but that was a mistake because I didn’t realize I was doing it. Until one day… A friend of mine told me to “cut to the chase”. Then, the next time, he asked me to “skip the details” and tell him what happened. By the third time, I wondered if I talked too much, and if I did, why did this guy put up with me? He said I didn’t do it all the time, only when I was excited or upset about something. But since then, I paid closer attention to my conversations and am cured. I think.

However, writers tend to do the same thing on paper. And I’ll bet they don’t realize it.

In case you’re one of those writers, here are seven tips to help you kill blah, blah, blah writing:

-Use specific nouns. Instead of a lethal hand-held gun, call it a Glock. Instead of whole grain cereal shaped as O’s, call it Cheerios.

-Vary sentence lengths. Blah, blah, blah writing usually means too many long sentences, which slows the pace. It’s all right to have some longer sentences, but you should have a mix of long, short, and medium length sentences to keep things fresh.

-Replace adverbs with vivid verbs.

-Cut out repetitive words and redundancies.

-Rewrite clichés to make them new.

-Don’t clump descriptions into a paragraph. Scatter the information within the text.

-Read your pages out loud. If you sound like that little, old lady talking your ear off, then maybe you’re doing the same to your reader.

What other advice can you give to help writers eliminate blah, blah, blah writing?

*Lynnette Labelle* @Chatterbox Chitchat

Author Spotlight: M. Pax

Tomorrow: Author M. Pax

Indie Authors Beware

Author Spotlight: Jonathan D. Allen

Tomorrow: Author Jonathan D. Allen

Author Spotlight: Raine Thomas

Tomorrow: Author Raine Thomas

Author Spotlight: Micheal Rivers

Tomorrow: Author Micheal Rivers

Editor's First Aid: CRP for Your Dying Manuscript

Editors Passed on Same Book Critique Group Loved: 6 Reasons Why

Author Spotlight Coming Soon

Raising the Stakes

How Does a Writer Plot Successfully?

The Nightmare of Writing Dreams...

Author Branding: Why Do It?

Readers' Expectations - Know 'Em

Beginnings: The Embellished and the Tearjerker

The Nascar Beginning

6 Common Backstory Pitfalls

5 Subplot Blunders to Avoid

Critique Partner #5: Jennifer Kay

Critique Partner #4: Annalise Green

Should You Join an Online Critique Group?

Critique Partner #3: Jonathan D. Allen

Before You Join a Critique Group

Critique Partner #2 - Pat Brown/ GA Parker

Critique Partner #1: Tricia Quinnies

The Benefits of a Critique Group

The Great Critique Group Matchmaking Service Is HERE.

How to Write Tight - Part 4

How to Write Tight - Part 3

How to Write Tight - Part 2

How to Write Tight - Part 1

Beat Writer's Block

8 Plotting Pointers

Writing Advice from an Editor

Buried Dialogue: The Unofficial Rules

Fun Friday? Nope.

Dig Out That Buried Dialogue

Style Checklist for Writers

Fun Friday

How Does Your Villain Grow?

Breaking the Rules Can Cost You

Fun Friday

Emotions: Show, Don't Tell

Free Edit by Professional Editor

Fun Friday

Mini Lesson on Exclamation Points and Question Marks

Wrong Word Usage - Part 4

Fun Friday

Rookie Mistakes to Avoid When Submitting to Agents

Long Weekend

Scene Writing Tips - Part 2

The FREE Muse Online Writers Conference Is BAAACK!!!

Fun Friday

Scene Writing Tips - Part 1

Wrong Word Usage - Part 3

Fun Friday

Zone Out Sections - Keep Out!

Wrong Word Usage - Part 2

Fun Friday

Scene or Summary - How to Decide

Wrong Word Usage Part 1

Fun Friday

Who Is Your Target Audience? Do You Know?

Is Your Protagonist a Zero or a Hero?

Fun Friday

Not Another Sex Scene Part 2

Not Another Sex Scene by Kelly Hunter and Anne Gracie

Fun Friday

Live Through Me - Part 5

Live Through Me - Part 4

Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In

Fun Friday

Live Through Me - Part 3

Live Through Me - Part 2

Live Through Me - Part 1

Fun Friday

Lynnette Labelle @Chatterbox Chitchat